"A Head Start Family: Narrative A

This narrative documents the family’s life from October of 1997 to December of 1998. Data contributing to this report were obtained from semi-structured home interviews, structured parent interviews, teacher reports, child assessments, as well as monthly telephone contacts from November of 1997 to December of 1998. The names of the family members have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

The Head Start Child

David was a four-year-old White boy who lived with his mother, Wynette, and older sister, Bethany, in a small, southwestern town. David enrolled in Head Start during the fall of 1997 and attended class four days a week for five hours a day. He lived fifteen minutes away from the center and typically came to school each morning by bus. Wynette described him as a child that is “playful and weird,” explaining that he “likes to act and dress up like a little girl.” Both in the fall and spring parent interviews, she reported it was very true that David accepted his friends’ ideas easily when sharing and playing and that he readily made friends. Yet, despite his congenial nature, Wynette elaborated, “He [also] loves to pick on people.” “Sometimes he’s [even] hateful to his sister; loveable when he wants to be.” When asked about his favorite activities, she replied that he enjoyed “playing with cars and trains” and, although he tended to trip, stumble, and fall easily, engaging in physical play such as “wrestling.”

According to Wynette, in the fall of 1997, David could recognize most of the letters in the alphabet, identify the colors red, yellow, blue, and green, and count up to twenty. He could also hold his pencil properly and liked to write or pretend to write, including his first name; however, some letters were sometimes backwards. Later, during the spring parent interview in 1998, Wynette not only observed that David could count up to fifty but also could recognize thirty written numbers and identify up to ten blocks. David had a good imagination, enjoyed learning, and liked to try new things, yet he was sometimes restless and made changes with difficulty. As early as the fall of 1997, David would sit and look at a book with pictures, pretending to read to himself, but he did more than just describe each picture—he connected them in an integrated story. In particular, while Wynette reported that he enjoyed being read to for approximately twenty minutes at one time in the fall of 1997, his attention span for reading increased to thirty minutes by the spring of 1998. There were a variety of reading materials in the home, including children’s books, adult novels and non-fiction books, and other religious and reference items such as dictionaries and encyclopedias. Whereas Wynette, her live-in partner, Mark, and another non-household member all had time to read to David during the week prior to the fall parent interview in 1997, no one read to him during the week before the spring interview in 1998.

When asked about his behavior, Wynette depicted David as a high-strung, nervous child who often had temper tantrums and was sometimes disobedient at home. While Wynette only indicated spanking David twice during the week prior to the fall parent interview in 1997 and not at all during the same time period before the spring interview in 1998, the number of times that she used time out as a discipline technique increased from two to six times from the fall of 1997 to the spring of 1998. Interestingly, although Wynette and David’s teacher agreed that, very often, he made friends easily and accepted peers’ ideas in sharing and playing, his teacher contradicted the idea that he hit or fought with others, had temper tantrums, or ignored classroom directions or rules. In particular, teacher ratings from the spring of 1998 affirmed that David very often waited his turn during games or other activities and assisted in putting away classroom materials.

Despite his somewhat volatile nature and the fact that David was both a witness to and a victim of violent crime and domestic violence, Wynette reported that he would help and comfort others in both her fall and spring parent interviews. Overall, both Wynette and David’s teacher believed that he was a happy child with a good self-esteem; he appeared to act his age and never seemed to worry for too long or feel worthless or inferior.

David had a regular health care provider. He received routine care paid for by Medicaid from a private doctor or HMO. Although Wynette described David’s health as excellent, she also reported that he suffered from a chronic illness for at least six months and that he was sick with “a virus” in December and January of 1997. Telephone conversations in July of 1998 revealed that David was susceptible to seizures and, unfortunately, he was taken to the nearest emergency room where he received an injection of Benadryl to reduce serious inflammation. Afflicted by the threat of seizures several months thereafter, David continued taking medication until November of 1998 in order to prevent this condition. Additionally, a severe ear infection in September of 1998 nearly impaired his hearing. During her fall parent interview in 1997, Wynette further reported that, despite the fact that David would sometimes stammer and was not easily understand by strangers, he did not have a disability.

When asked about her hopes and goals for David during his first year in Head Start, Wynette illuminated that she hoped “that he does real good in school and passes to ‘kiddygarden,’ and he learns to write better his name.” When specifically asked about her son’s short- or long-term educational goals, Wynette expressed, “I hope that he graduates. That he really learns while he’s younger and it’s [school] not just to go and play around with.” She would very much like David to “become something he really wants to become like a doctor or a lawyer and be really good at it.”

Both before and after enrollment in Head Start, David and his siblings were never placed in child care. Prior to August of 1998, despite expressing a moderate need for help taking care of her children’s daily needs, weekends with his biological father, who lived within an hour’s ride, were the only form of child care support that Wynette experienced.

The Head Start Family

During the initial seven months documented in this narrative, the family experienced much instability due to Mark’s alcoholism, and, as a result, Wynette, David, and Bethany moved three times. Early in September of 1997, Mark and Wynette separated, and the family moved in with Wynette’s parents. However, just three months later, in December of 1997, Wynette, David, and Bethany moved back to live with Mark. Wynette described those circumstances that alleviated her anxiety about his drinking habits via a telephone interview in November of 1997. She explained, “There’s a lot going on, but nothing new. Mark has stopped drinking and only has a few in the evening instead of a whole case.” Shorter-lived than the last arrangement, they left Mark again in January of 1998 and moved back with Wynette’s parents. She elaborated, “He made me so mad one time I banged the telephone on the floor until it broke.” Wynette recognized her need to better manage her emotions, “I have to stop behaving that way—that was a very bad thing to do.”

Household instability resurfaced in the spring of 1998, however, when her new partner and husband-to-be, Tom, entered into the picture, and Wynette and her family moved from Tom’s parents’ home to a one-bedroom apartment and, eventually, to a three-bedroom trailer of their own. In June of 1998, difficulties with her new in-laws, Ralph and Betty, precipitated her family’s move into a one-bedroom apartment where they happily acquired two pot-bellied pigs, named Gordie and Babe, to add to their menagerie of dogs and cats. Later, in July of 1998, Wynette and Tom were fortunate enough to buy a trailer, situated on what appeared to be a sprawling five acres. During this telephone contact, the interviewer noted, “Wynette loves living in the country and having her own place. Her parents bought her a dishwasher over the weekend.” It was at this time that Marcus and Audrey, an unrelated, married couple who knew Tom, also temporarily moved in with the family to help refurbish the property in exchange for rent. Wynette recounted incidents of verbal abuse and threats when Marcus berated his 16-year-old, pregnant wife in front of her family. During a telephone interview in July of 1998, she relayed, “His wife was due any minute—the woman, he treats like a dog. He says things like, ‘You shut up, or I’ll slap you down. And, if you try to put me in jail, you’ll lose your kid.’” In constant flux, Wynette experienced more hardships when, in September of 1998, she planned to divorce Tom and to live with her parents for an indefinite period of time. Wynette said, “He beat me. He is no longer working.” No more household changes were reported until November of 1998 when Wynette’s sister moved out of her parent’s home, leaving Wynette to care for her five nieces and nephews, ages 9-13, who remained in the house while their mother and father worked full-time. While her family experienced myriad household changes both in terms of geographics and composition, Wynette proudly affirmed the safety and security of her children while in her care. Having reinforced the idea that David never lived apart from her, she proudly stated, “I always take care of my babies.”

A 25-year-old, high school graduate who was single and unemployed, Wynette reported that her poor health often prevented her from working and even from looking for a job. David’s biological father did not have a high school diploma or a GED but was employed as a machine operator and an assembler. In January of 1997, he began to contribute to his son’s financial well-being. Prior to the fall home interview in 1997, he rarely saw David. Wynette relayed one unexpected occasion when David’s biological father and his girlfriend “offered to take them [David and Bethany] for a day, and they came back with all kinds of stories about what a good time they had and all kinds of presents from their dad and other relatives on his side of the family.” “They now want to trot him [David] out like trophies on holidays.” Wynette continued in earnest, “David’s glad to find out who his dad is,” and “maybe he’ll take the kids again sometime-- he tries to help out a little.” Tom, Wynette’s sometimes live-in partner in the spring of 1998, did not have a high-school diploma or a GED but was employed with two jobs, working regularly at a large, discount chain and part-time as a carpet cleaner. When living with the family, he contributed to the household income.

Early in the narrative when Wynette was living with Mark, she reported that her monthly household income ranged between $500-$1,000. It rose to $1,500 -$2,000 in the spring of 1998 when combined with Tom’s fiscal support. Since David’s birth, Wynette received food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, and income assistance. She also benefited from various social services provided by community agencies. These resources included counseling to better cope with family violence and legal aid in the fall of 1997 and mental health as well as alcohol/drug abuse treatment in both the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998. Although she did not receive education assistance until the spring of 1998, early on during a telephone conversation in November of 1997, Wynette forecast that she would pursue her GED and, later, aspired to obtain a degree in computers. When asked whether Head Start had helped her to secure this assistance, Wynette explained that she already received support before David enrolled in Head Start. However, she reported that Head Start had directly provided help with medical and dental care for both the children and adults in her family during her fall and spring parent interviews. In December of 1997, Wynette attempted to appeal to the courts, seeking SSI benefits and hoping to reinstate David’s Medicaid which, eventually, was restored during June of 1998. In January of 1997, she began babysitting in her parent’s home, five to seven days per week, from 8:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and earned approximately $50 each week in an effort to help support her family.

Fortunately, due to a lack of stringent work commitments, Wynette was able to devote a great deal of time to David and her other children. During the week prior to the fall parent interview in 1997, Wynette relayed that she taught David letters, words, and numbers, often when singing songs, playing counting games, or reading books together. While she also encouraged David to help with household chores, spoke with him about television programs, videos, and his Head Start day before both interviews, she brought him along during errands, read or told him a story, collaborated with him during an arts and crafts activity, and even joined him at a sporting event during the week prior to the spring parent interview in 1998. She further reported a visit to the mall and the opportunity for him to learn about his family history when reflecting on the previous month’s activities with David. By contrast, trips to a playground or a park predominated when interviewed in the spring of 1998. Specifically, during her fall parent interview, Wynette reported that Mark also took David along on errands, helped to teach him letters, words, and numbers, and played with him indoors. Tom, her new partner by the spring of 1998, accompanied David to a community or other ethnic activity and brought him to a playground or a park during the month prior to the spring interview in 1998.

In a telephone interview in July of 1998, Wynette shared that, at best, her family could fulfill seven out of nineteen fundamental family needs. Later, in December of 1998, her need decreased slightly when she relayed that half, ten out of nineteen, of their basic needs were met. From a broad view, in July, while she frequently had enough food for three meals a day and enough money to buy basic necessities, she almost never could pay her monthly bills. By contrast, Wynette frequently had enough food for three meals and money to pay her monthly bills, but she could only sometimes purchase basic necessities, including food and clothing. Additionally, Wynette almost always felt that she had enough opportunities to spend quality time with her children and family during both time periods. Conversely, during both months, she rarely or never had the chance to afford family entertainment, purchase personal items, travel, or even socialize with friends or be alone. When asked about those family strengths that she admired the most, Wynette expressed, “Everybody helps one another in our family. We are all there to find out what we can do-- we back each other up. We just have a good, loving family.” “We’re very close, and that’s it.” Despite her positive thoughts and feelings, Wynette also characterized behaviors that the family could improve. “All of us fight-- once one starts a fight, everyone tries to get in.” Contrary to her previous statements, she continued, “They don’t stick up for the one who’s trying to do right.” In her home interview in the fall of 1997, Wynette reflected, “That’s me, I’m the one trying to do right by moving back in with Mark. They say I’m stupid and crazy. They say it’s too soon. As soon as we get back together, he’ll start drinking again, but he hasn’t, and we’ve been back together about a month now. We have a beer once in a while for a special occasion, like his brother’s birthday.”

Wynette had a regular health care provider in both the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998. Various family members suffered from colds and the flu throughout December, January, and March of 1997 and, later, from recurring colds and ear infections during July and August of 1998. In February of 1997, David’s sister, Bethany, contracted hepatitis and was sick for two weeks. Fortunately, even though the entire family had to have shots, no one else became ill. Sadly, Wynette reported how, in the fall of 1997, her mother-in-law, Betty, was diagnosed with diverculitis and, later, in December of 1998, was hospitalized with both this condition and diabetes. Additionally, her father-in-law, Ralph, was hospitalized due to major surgery for oral cancer in June of 1997. Wynette elaborated about Betty’s condition, “She’ O.K., now, when she takes her medicine. They’re still trying to find out what kind of cancer she has.” One uncle also passed away, and two others experienced open-heart surgery in November of 1998.

Ironically, Wynette reported her health status as very good in the fall of 1997, yet she had extensive dental problems and received assistance in February of 1997 in order to begin rehabilitation. Further complicating her life were chronic seizures and difficulties with her liver that resulted in multiple hospitalizations in June, August, October, and November of 1998. During telephone interviews in 1998, Wynette recalled, perhaps, the two gravest incidents. In August of 1998, she recounted how her children called a neighbor who alerted the paramedics. The interviewer noted, “She’s very proud of the children and feels they saved her life!” Wynette also experienced a grueling seizure that lasted forty-five minutes –much longer than usual—in October and had to be hospitalized for several hours. Later during December, her liver enzymes were “real high,” and, during this interview, she noted, “[I] may have to go on dialysis.” Beginning in January of 1997, Wynette acknowledged that she had emotional problems and that she was suffering from depression. Having recognized that her drinking had become a problem, she began to attend AA meetings and started counseling with a private therapist in a neighboring town. A suicide attempt raised the issue of commitment to the local hospital. Wynette did not want to be hospitalized, and she adamantly expressed that she ”wants to be able to see the children and take care of them.” Because she continued to be severely depressed in February of 1997, she attended therapy once a week, hoping that “weekly counseling sessions and medication will help my situation and keep me out of the hospital.” By March of 1997, Wynette reported feeling better, although she was still undergoing counseling. She explained that her therapist was very concerned about “what I’m writing in my diary” and is afraid “I’m gonna’ hurt myself again” and, accordingly, planned to “talk to me everyday [during the] week.” Fearing the worst outcome, Wynette remarked that her counselor might “have to put me in a hospital to keep me from hurtin’ myself.” In the fall of 1997, when Wynette and her partner, Mark, tried to be together again, she relayed how their continued difficulties undermined her efforts at rehabilitation. “He never lets me leave,” and “I keep telling him that he has to go get his own help, and I have to go and get mine and then maybe we can get together, maybe.”

Wynette continued her counseling sessions on an intermittent basis, her attendance and absence mirroring the diverse transitions in her life. For example, in June of 1998, around the time when Wynette, Tom, and the family moved away from struggles with their in-laws and to their own one-bedroom apartment, Wynette discontinued therapy on a weekly schedule, but she resumed her sessions in September when the couple planned a divorce. Ironically, while Wynette denied having emotional problems during her September telephone interview, she emphasized the fact that both she and her mother were undergoing counseling to focus on improved communication. In particular, Wynette noted that she no longer wanted to “yell at her [mother] like a crazy woman,” and she felt more motivated to join parenting and relationship classes. Wynette remained very hopeful, affirming that she considered signing herself into “the hospital again,” yet thought that she could “do this on my own.” Later, in October, Wynette even encouraged her daughter, Bethany, to participate in counseling for dealing with attention deficit disorder and difficulties with anger management.

When asked about her need for social support, Wynette expressed a very great need for intimate support -- someone to confide in about personal and private matters. She mentioned that she was able to talk with her mother, sister, friend, therapist, and Head Start staff, yet she only reported being slightly satisfied with these resources. Interestingly, when specifically asked about her need for parenting advice, including information on how to better care for her children’s daily needs, or for ways to better manage household tasks, Wynette confirmed that she had no need for support in these areas. In particular, during both her fall and spring parent interviews, she reported that David’s grandparents and the Head Start staff had been valuable resources in terms of helping her to raise David over the previous six months. Both in June and November of 1998, a self-report indicated that, the majority of the time, she felt that everything she did was an effort, that her sleep was restless, and that her appetite was poor. Specifically, in the fall of 1997, she also reported that she could do anything that she set her mind to. She strongly disagreed that there was little that she could do to change important things in her life and believed that what happened to her depended on her. She even reported remaining hopeful and that she enjoyed life most or all of the time. However, at the time of the second interview, she had recently divorced Tom and her family moved back in with her parents. Here, unlike her previous report, she described feeling somewhat sad, fearful, and that her life had been a failure. Overall, despite the challenges that her family perpetually faced, Wynette had high personal hopes and ambitions, “To try and get a degree in computers. I love computers, and I want to go to college and do that.”

The Family’s Interactions with Head Start

Wynette had three years of prior experience with Head Start, because her daughter, Bethany, had also attended. Originally, she chose to enroll David, “because he wanted to go to school. He goes to Head Start and pre-K, and he seems to enjoy it.” During her home interview in the spring of 1998, she further reflected, “David usually doesn’t mind, but sometimes he’d rather stay home in bed.” Wynette explained, “There was a kid causing problems in David’s class—fighting-- but it is not so bad now.” She envisioned that Head Start would give David a solid academic foundation as well as teach him about nutrition and physical fitness. Personally, Wynette hoped that Head Start would not only help her to receive assistance with her dental problems but also to obtain vocational or technical training to further her ambitions in computers.

During her parent interview in the spring of 1998, Wynette indicated that she had participated in 11 out of 16 Head Start activities at least once and as many as three times since David’s enrollment. Wynette highly valued Head Start activities and remarked, “It [participation] was very important to me. I like to do bulletin boards. I work with kids-- it helps David. I was President of the Policy Council.” These activities ranged from private parent-teacher conferences and classroom observations to more collaborative efforts including volunteering in the classroom and, at times, other Head Start events such as preparing newsletters and fundraising. Although she had attended certain Head Start events with her spouse, Tom, and other adults, she did not yet have the opportunity to experience a workshop or a Head Start social event.

Overall, Wynette reported very high satisfaction with Head Start, because involvement helped her to fulfill her goals for David as well as to enhance her role as a parent. Wynette reported being somewhat satisfied with how the program had prepared David for kindergarten in July and, later, during the December 1998 telephone interview, after David had been attending kindergarten for several months, Wynette said she was very satisfied that Head Start had helped prepare him for school. Specifically, during her December telephone contact, she described how Head Start staff had helped David to improve his motor skills and dexterity. Socially, “he did just fine with that” and, academically, he was learning a great deal but could still use more help with letters, numbers, and color recognition. Wynette emphasized how “They [Head Start] are meeting my goals for him very well, and I really like the teachers. They’re doing as much as they can with the children. They teach them how to behave, how to eat, and how to play and to learn.” Additionally, during her spring parent interview, Wynette noted that the teacher was always warm and affectionate towards and displayed interest in David.

When asked about the extent to which Head Start had helped her to achieve personal goals, Wynette had mixed feelings. As a parent, she hoped to teach David “to be more polite and mannerly. [And] how to respect women. Teach him to stay away from drugs and alcohol.” In terms of her success at accomplishing this task, she continued, “Real good—if Ralph (father-in-law) or Tom (husband) are having a drink, David says he doesn’t want any, because it’s nasty. I don’t think he’ll ever have a drinking problem.” In particular, during her spring home interview, Wynette commented on how Head Start facilitated her ability to be a caring and a strong role model by clarifying how the program equipped her with important disciplinary techniques and better ways to manage her emotions. “I love being a parent and think I’m a good one, but, sometimes, I want a break. Their Dad takes them on weekends and that helps.” She felt that “an anger management class” would improve the situation a great deal, explaining, “Sometimes I get so angry—too angry—with the kids.” Head Start enabled her “to discipline, talk to ‘em, how to listen.” “They’ve helped me out quite a bit.”

In general, during her spring home interview, Wynette indicated that she felt supported and welcomed by David’s teacher. She recalled how this open atmosphere often encouraged her to participate in Head Start activities. “They helped me with the Christmas party. We had a Santa Claus, and he gave presents to all the kids. Everyone had a great time. At Easter, I helped plan the party. We had an Easter egg hunt and candy and games. It was fun.” Through time volunteering in the classroom, Wynette also helped David “to learn to tie his shoes and to count to thirty.” Since David’s enrollment in September of 1997, she even noted how Head Start helped “giving me a job riding the bus.” Wynette monitored the bus two to three times a day, commenting that she “loved doing it! I know it’s an important job.” Most importantly, Wynette felt that Head Start had not only helped her to improve her physical health but also her professional well-being. She elaborated, “Head Start has helped me to get my teeth fixed. I feel better about myself.” “They offered a computer class, too.”

Unfortunately, at the same time, Wynette reported being sometimes dissatisfied with Head Start’s respect for family culture and very dissatisfied with their openness to ideas in her spring parent interview. She reported, “The way the center director and others were rude to me—they gave me funny looks and talked about me behind my back.” Further serving as barriers to her participation and complicating her situation were chronic family illness and her own ongoing struggle with depression, drinking, and troubled relationships. For example, during January of 1998, although Head Start continued to invite Wynette to many activities, she was not able to attend because of her breakup with Mark and myriad problems with moving, her mother’s illness, and her own alcohol addiction and emotional instability. While she resumed a more regular participation schedule in February, serving as president of a parent group, her contact with Head Start remained limited due to Bethany’s bout with hepatitis.

During this time, increased exposure to parent and teacher interactions led to Wynette’s disillusionment with “conditions at the Head Start center. There are not enough teachers, and the children are running wild.” Wynette attempted to contact both the executive director of the agency and the Head Start director numerous times in order to address her complaints but was unsuccessful. Later, in March, the parents held a meeting to jointly express their concern, yet she remained very dissatisfied with the outcome. Wynette recounted, “the Head Start staff won’t follow the suggestions of the parents.” Persistent disappointment with the situation led to her decreased participation in bus duties and, in general, she chose to spend less time at the Head Start center. “I don’t like the way they treat me. They’re rude. Ever since Claudia [a teacher] left they’re even more rude.” Wynette also described how David “is refusing to go to Head Start, because the kids pick on him so bad.” Wynette suggested that in order to improve, Head Start not only incite cooperative participation and greater parent involvement in both the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998 but also provide “equal treatment for all” in the spring of 1998. When David matriculated to kindergarten, she emphasized via a telephone contact in July of 1998, “[He’s] in kindergarten now, and Head Start doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.” In September, still somewhat dismayed with the transition, Wynette continued, “David is in all day kindergarten—which he loves, but he and his teachers don’t get along. She doesn’t give him enough to do. He plays teacher with some kids, while she does other things, and she don’t like it.”

The Family’s Home and Neighborhood

At the time of the October 1997 home interview, Wynette and David lived in an upper level, second floor apartment in an extraordinarily run-down, fourplex building. Replete with broken, boarded up windows and peeling paint, the complex had no front door on the street level, and, abut to a deteriorating, industrial park and railroad tracks, fumes from nearby oil and chemical refineries imbued the area. Equally unpleasant, the interior of Wynette’s home reeked from the odor of “dirty dishes with scraps of food…scattered [about] the apartment.” The interviewer elaborated, “The apartment…is filthy… and in need of vacuuming and sweeping.” “Clothes are scattered everywhere --on the floor, chairs, tables-- just everywhere. Wynette and the children are recovering from the flu and, perhaps, that is part of the reason things are so very messy.”

Covering a radius somewhere between six to ten blocks, the neighborhood consisted of four similar buildings on three congested streets. With the exception of a few, well maintained homes, most surrounding houses seemed unkempt and overcrowded. “Materials are hanging, mostly lopsided, in the windows.” Various types of litter, including abandoned vehicles, trash, and broken children’s toys, infiltrated streets, sidewalks, and even private yards. While some trees and grass grew nearby in sparse patches, only a few lingering birds and dogs barking from inside apartments added vitality to this community and obscured the interviewer’s notion that it resembled an “urban blight on a smaller scale.” “This is not a pretty neighborhood, and it does not feel safe.” “It appears that no one who lives here takes pride in the area.”

Wynette affirmed that her family did not live in a stable neighborhood and that “no one would stay here by choice.” There were few signs of neighborhood activities and identity, yet community resources such as two convenient stores, a grocery, a drug store, four churches, a private daycare center, and an elementary school were all within six to ten blocks. Although Wynette observed that her family lived across the street from a vacant field, there was no safe playground nearby for children to play in. Most neighboring businesses were boarded up and closed down.

Ironically, despite its deceptive appearance, Wynette characterized her neighborhood in spring 1998 as “quiet, not much trouble—don’t have the cops come down much.” Except for some individuals who “believe in gangs” and who “don’t know how to get along with anybody,” she emphasized how she lived in a relatively cooperative, law conscious community. “It’s a safe environment in some ways—no guns or violence. It’s better than where I was living before. Everybody helps everybody out.” When asked about which aspect of her neighborhood that she liked the most, she commented, “how quiet it is. How friendly people are. The law goes by often—just checking. People look after other people’s kids and keep parents informed.” Unfortunately, David had both been a witness to and a victim of domestic violence in her home in the fall of 1997. David also had to experience his own mother being arrested. During her fall home interview, Wynette noted a contributing factor; she and her “boyfriend, Mark, are drinking again.” Though circumstances improved by the spring of 1998, the notion that Wynette not only reported having seen but also knew someone who was a victim of violent crime in her neighborhood in the fall of 1997 compounded this harsh reality.

A Head Start Family: Narrative B

This narrative documents the family’s life from October of 1997 through December of 1998. Data contributing to this report were obtained from semi-structured home interviews, structured parent interviews, teacher reports and child assessments, as well as monthly telephone contacts from November of 1997 to December of 1998. The names of the family members have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

The Head Start Child

Gabriela was a 3-year-old Latina girl who lived with her mother, Celia, father, Alejandro, and older brother, Eric, in a large, southwestern city. Gabriela enrolled in Head Start in the fall of 1997 and typically attended class five days a week for eight hours a day. She lived eight minutes from the center and walked to school each morning. Gabriela’s mother, Celia, portrayed her as a child who was “like a good girl, a little difficult, but a calm girl to other children” and stated that she “sometimes acts mean but rarely.” When asked about her favorite activities, Celia said that Gabriela liked “television, playing with her bike and painting and drawing” as well as “playing with the kids.” Celia noted that, in general, Gabriela made friends easily and willingly shared with and accepted her friend’s ideas when playing. However, it was sometimes true that Gabriela hits and fights with other children. Celia reported that “Gabriela had a little friend in the neighborhood that hit her. I notice that she hits back. I don’t like that.” According to Celia, in the fall of 1997, Gabriela could button her own clothes, count up to ten, hold her pencil properly, and liked to write or pretend to write. She could not yet point out any of the letters of the alphabet or identify the colors red, yellow, blue and green.

However, she observed that by the spring of 1998 Gabriela could accomplish all these tasks as well as recognize and write her first name, identify at least five written numbers, and count up to five blocks. Gabriela had a good imagination, enjoyed learning and liked to try new things, although she experienced some difficulty concentrating or paying attention for very long. As early as the fall of 1997, Celia noted that Gabriela would sit and look at a book with pictures, pretending to read to herself, but she did more than just describe each picture -- she connected them in an integrated story. By the spring of 1998, her attention span for reading increased, and she enjoyed being read to for approximately fifteen minutes rather than five minutes at one time. There were reading materials in the home, including children’s books, religious books, and newspapers. While Celia reported that no one had read to Gabriela within the week prior to the fall home interview, she said that a number of household members had read to her two times during the week before the spring home interview.

When asked about her behavior, Celia remarked that Gabriela sometimes was disobedient at home and very often would have temper tantrums. Both in the fall of 1997 and spring of 1998, Celia indicated having to spank Gabriela and send her to time-out one to two times a week. However, Celia recognized an improvement in her daughter’s ability to get along well with and to act her own age around other children in the spring of 1998. Her teacher also noted her more congenial and cooperative nature, reporting that Gabriela joined in group activities on her own and encouraged others to participate as well as accepted her peers’ ideas in playing and sharing and complimented them. She felt that Gabriela appeared to receive social support from a friend and showed loyalty to the friend. While Gabriela took turns and followed classroom directions very often, she occasionally would break rules when playing games with others and could usually solve problems with other children independently. Overall, Celia described Gabriela as a happy child with a good self-esteem who never seemed to worry for too long.

Gabriela did not have a regular health care provider. She received her routine health care, paid by health insurance, from a private doctor or an HMO. Celia described Gabriela’s health as excellent. Ironically, she indicated that Gabriela suffered from a chronic illness (unspecified) in the fall of 1997, yet continued telephone conversations only document that she had a bout of the flu in August and experienced a common cold in October of 1998.

When asked about her hopes and goals for Gabriela during the fall of 1997, Celia relayed that she hoped “that they [Head Start] say something good about her, that they have no problems with her.” “I don’t want her [Gabriela] to tell me that she spent all day watching movies or was out on the street.” When specifically asked about short or long-term educational goals, Celia said, “Head Start teaches [them] to do good things. I see the difference in her drawings and how she interacts with children.” Regarding her future, Celia would like Gabriela to become an “engineer” and hopes that she “gets a good job.” Of greatest value, she felt, “The most important thing is her learning and increasing her abilities. And, to instill the desire to be somebody… who does not have to struggle like we do.”

The Head Start Family

This is a two-parent family that immigrated from El Salvador to the United States in search of a better life. Prior to the initial visit with the family, Gabriela’s father, Alejandro, was deported, leaving Celia, Gabriela, and her 9-year-old brother, Eric, with very few resources. The family began sharing housing after Alejandro was deported, because they could no longer afford to live on their own. When first contact with the family occurred, the household consisted of Gabriela, her 36-year-old mother, Celia, Eric, and another 30-year-old female relative. Spanish was the language spoken in the home.

Celia did not have a high school diploma or a GED but received a job-related certificate and worked full-time as a machine operator. While Celia reported her monthly household income to be $850 in the fall of 1997, it rose to approximately $1,000 in the spring of 1998. This increase in income combined with the fact that her husband, Alejandro, returned to live with the family and worked full-time may have contributed to the family’s living in their own housing. Since Gabriela’s birth, Celia has needed help with transportation, childcare, and food and has received help from a variety of community agencies. When asked whether Head Start had helped her to secure this assistance, Celia explained that she was already receiving the aid before Gabriela began Head Start and, therefore, did not need help from the program. During her husband’s absence, Celia received WIC to purchase milk for her children. However, Celia emphasized that she felt it was unacceptable to “ask for handouts,” and, by the time of the first interview, she was no longer receiving any public assistance. After having been deported from the United States, Alejandro returned in January of 1998 with a vehement distrust of the government and the “North American system.” He explained that the only reason the family was still in the U.S. was because circumstances were much worse in their homeland of El Salvador.

Celia worked full-time and, consequently, Gabriela often spent a good portion of her day either in Head Start or under the supervision of a neighbor who was a helpful but unlicensed caregiver. However, Celia still reported spending time with her child on a consistent basis in both the fall and spring parent interviews. During the week prior to the spring home interview, Celia told or read Gabriela a story and jointly worked on arts and crafts. She also took Gabriela with her while running errands, had her help with household chores, and made time to speak with her about her Head Start day. Another household member also taught Gabriela letters, words, or numbers and played games with her indoors. With her father’s return to the United States, Celia reported that he would sometimes bring Gabriela to the mall once a month. In the fall of 1997, Celia remarked she and Gabriela also ventured to a mall, visited a playground, and attended a sporting event at least once a month. Similarly, with the exception of a sports outing, they experienced these same events the month prior to the spring 1998 interview.

In telephone interviews in July and, later, December of 1998, Celia revealed that, at best, her family was able to meet four out of nineteen fundamental needs. From a broad view, having enough money to purchase basic necessities enabled her to sometimes pay her monthly bills and provide her family with three meals a day. Other resources sometimes met included having enough space in her apartment. She described that that she would like “to change and improve our way of living, to earn more [and get] better quality things for one’s family.” Specifically, Celia discussed the difficulty of earning a low wage and expressed her hopes for the future. “If you go out with the little money that you earn, you have desires to buy what they [the children] wish.” “We are in this country ... it is not much that they are paying us.” “[I want] to change our way of living.” Yet, despite her hardships, Celia stated, “We are a poor but honorable family” when asked about what family quality she truly admired.

Celia described her physical health as fair and had a regular health care provider. Sadly, monthly telephone interviews indicated that her husband, Alejandro, suffered a dangerous head injury in July of 1998. Alejandro was struck on the head by a marijuana addict in their apartment complex, and this traumatic situation precipitated a great deal of physical and psychological distress. He not only spent two days in a hospital but also was forced to take work leave for two weeks. Deleterious effects, especially emotional ones, lingered for two months. In September, the interviewer detailed, “Celia was very worried that they wouldn’t have enough that month to pay the rent or bills. Thankfully, everything worked out—Her husband was okay, and they still had a place to live.”

When asked about her need for social support, Celia expressed a moderate need for intimate social support – someone to confide in about personal and private matters. She mentioned that she was able to talk to her sister and that she was very satisfied with these experiences during the month of January 1998. When interviewed after Alejandro had been deported, Celia admitted that she was lonely and sad most or all of the time, occasionally felt depressed, and that everything she did seemed like an effort. She felt helpless – that there was no way to solve her problems, she was being pushed around, and she had little control over life events. Although she agreed that what happened to her depended on her, she felt that there was very little she could do in order to improve those circumstances that were most important to her. By contrast, after Alejandro’ return in January of 1998, a self-report in June later revealed that, while she often felt that life required a big effort to accomplish tasks and that it was difficult to proceed with daily routines, Celia rarely felt sad, afraid, or alone. She further demonstrated her receptivity to others’ social support when answering that she rarely felt that she could not shake her sadness and that she only seldom felt poorly treated by others. In retrospect, she emphasized how Alejandro, her parents, Gabriela’s child care provider, the church, and Head Start staff, were all very supportive and helpful resources in terms of raising Gabriela over the previous six months. Celia’s personal hopes and goals are sound and realistic: “To just work and be able to take care of them [children]. “There is no initiative to say we will continue to study. I cannot. There is only one thing and that is work and work for them.”

The Family’s Interactions with Head Start

Celia had prior experience with Head Start because her son, Eric, had also attended. Celia’s primary reason for enrolling Gabriela in Head Start stemmed from her great need for child care. She explained, “Sometimes the necessities of work make it very difficult to leave one’s children for eight-to-nine hours at a babysitter.” She expressed concern about her child’s welfare. “I have seen babysitters even treat the children badly.” Gabriela initially entered childcare when she was a one-year-old and has been cared for in six different arrangements before her enrollment in Head Start. Of these various arrangements, care was most frequently provided in a neighbor’s home. After beginning Head Start, Gabriela continued to receive child care at a neighbor’s home, both before and after the Head Start day, for approximately 25 hours per week. Although Celia had expressed a need for financial assistance to afford Gabriela’s child care, she paid for it on her own . When asked how Gabriela perceived these care experiences, Celia expressed mixed feelings. While she positively noted that the child care provider always seemed open to new information and often gave Gabriela a great deal of individual attention and warmth, she also felt there were times when Gabriela did not appear to feel safe or secure.

Overall, Celia envisioned that Head Start would give Gabriela a solid academic foundation as well as improve her social interactions with children and adults. She also hoped that Head Start would improve Gabriela’s manners, reinforcing good habits, while helping her to learn how to behave better. During a home interview in April of 1998, when asked about Gabriela’s impression of Head Start, Celia replied positively, “[She] loves it! She has less tantrums with her friends than before. She’s also reminding me she has to wash her hands, teeth. She knows the colors, numbers. Gabriela tries more and more to explain what has happened during the day.” In particular, she noted Gabriela’s improved language skills, “Gabriela has learned a lot of English and speaks less Spanish.” Accordingly, Celia hoped that Head Start not only would be able to help her with child care but also to enhance her understanding of child development. During her spring parent interview, Celia relayed that she had participated in 9 out of 15 Head Start activities at least once and as many as three times since Gabriela’s enrollment. These activities ranged from private parent-teacher conferences and workshops to more collaborative efforts including volunteering in the classroom and, at times, in other Head Start events such as fundraising and preparing newsletters. By contrast, she did not yet have the opportunity to call another Head Start parent or attend a Head Start event, such as a field trip or a social occasion, either with her husband, Alejandro, or another adult, primarily due to work commitments.

Overall, Celia reported high satisfaction with Head Start, because involvement both helped her to fulfill her goals for Gabriela and to improve her role as a parent. She commented that she wished to teach her child “good things, to be an educated woman that is honorable and studious” and that Head Start had facilitated her capacity “to teach [Gabriela] so she learns. I have noticed much change—in her attitude and her abilities.” Feeling that Head Start had more than adequately prepared Gabriela physically, scholastically, and socially for kindergarten, Celia reported being extremely satisfied during her telephone conversations in July and, later, in September of 1998. At the same time, she again expressed a continued feeling of “being ashamed to ask for help [because she was not] used to having programs available for families and so she didn’t feel comfortable asking.” Overwhelmingly, Celia perceived that Head Start services for Gabriela and her family helped them to grow, were safe, and fostered community involvement. Additionally, she always felt that the teachers were open to new information and expressed enthusiasm and warmth towards Gabriela. When asked about the extent to which she felt she could achieve her goals as a parent, she responded with great candor, “I don’t know what you mean, I am doing the best I can with what resources we have. Our surroundings make it hard to show her how to be good. But we try.” Celia elaborated, “I love my children and want to see them grow…We are poor, but we try to keep her on the right path.” Despite Gabriela’s and her family’s positive experiences with Head Start, Celia did not meet her own goals. “I wanted good health and my job. I still have both things. Head Start didn’t help. I’m pretty sad still. I am not in my country. But our outlook there isn’t any better.”

When asked if there was anything that she would like to see improved or changed in Head Start, Celia expressed that the program should either have longer hours or provide extended day care. Unfortunately, she had to leave work early in order to take Gabriela to another child care arrangement, since extended day care at Head Start was recently discontinued. Despite her displeasure with the limited hours, Celia mentioned being particularly pleased that Head Start was often sensitive to her transportation needs. “On cold days they give my daughter a ride to Head Start.” Transportation to Head Start was a persistent problem for this family, and Celia explained the difficulty of getting Gabriela to school. “For me, it’s hard to find a person that will help me. In the time of cold and snow, I don’t want for them to miss not one day. It’s also hard for me to miss a lot of work. [Having transportation] could help a lot of mothers out.” Unfortunately, difficulties with transportation and a lack of child care became such barriers to participation that Celia eventually enrolled Gabriela in a pre-kindergarten program for fours hours a day, five days a week at her brother Eric’s school. Although Celia, at first, seemed unhappy about enrolling Gabriela in an elementary school program, she seemed more comfortable with the change by August of 1998.

The Family’s Home and Neighborhood

At the time of the October home interview, the FACES home visit interviewer described the family’s neighborhood as a residential, suburban setting comprised of mostly low-income, blue-collar African-American and Latino families. While the neighborhood consisted of two apartment complexes surrounded by single-family homes, Celia and Alejandro lived in an apartment building that was rather old and moderately populated. The complexes had gravel parking lots with little plants or shrubbery, and the yards were equally bare. All of the buildings and surrounding grounds were in great need of repair. An abandoned swimming pool and the absence of an outdoor playground not only made the desolate atmosphere uninviting but also unsafe for children to play in as dark passage ways, broken cement stairs, and rusted railings riddled the complex. The interviewer captured, at times, the intensity of Celia’s struggle via telephone interviews in July of 1998, “Unfortunately, the…complex is not well maintained and the management is lax.” “The situation was no better with the heat wave.” The property management refused to fix their air conditioner or refrigerator for a long time. Celia said she felt terrible not being [able] to provide her children any form of relief from the heat. Despite these times of crisis, Celia and her family were often afraid to complain to their landlord or local housing authority because of their immigration status and poor English skills. She elaborated, “The corrupt owners don’t listen to us. They think, because many of us are not legal, it’s okay to treat us like rats.”

Celia observed that the neighborhood was constantly in transition, since residents were always moving in and out. A parking lot between the apartment complexes and surrounding houses acted a small “buffer zone,” heightening a sense of isolation as the buildings almost appeared to be two distinct neighborhoods. There were no signs of neighborhood activities or identity, and all community resources such as churches, schools, recreation centers, and public transportation were at least a half a mile away. From their apartments, people socialized on their balconies yet were always vigilant of their children playing near isolated houses below. No one really knew each other, and, fearing for their safety, Celia did not allow her kids to play with other children. Living near a drug and gang-infested housing project, loitering was often observed. Celia commented, “I’m suspicious of people, because I don’t know anyone but so far nothing has happened….This is not a place where a child can run and play—It’s dirty, it’s dangerous, and I think it’s a bad place.” Unlike the fall parent interview, Celia reported that, in the spring of 1998, while she and her family had never been a victim of violent crime, her family had been exposed to violent crime and Gabriela to domestic violence. In April of 1998, Celia revealed, “The other day, they [officers] found a murder victim --five days old—in an apartment near where the children play. There’s gang violence on one side of the complex and alcoholic/drug abuse adults on the other. It’s terrible, this is like a rat hole.”

A Head Start Family: Narrative C

This narrative documents the family’s life from October of 1997 to December of 1998. Data contributing to this report were obtained from semi-structured home interviews, structured parent interviews, teacher reports, child observations, as well as monthly telephone contacts from December of 1997 to December of 1998. The names of the family members have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

The Head Start Child

Felicia was a three-year-old African American girl who lived with her 34-year-old, single mother, Kathy, sisters, LaShawn, Cheyenne, and Sharice, and her brother, RaShad , in a large, west-coast city. Felicia enrolled in Head Start in the fall of 1996 and attended class five days a week for four hours a day. She lived five minutes away from the Head Start center and traveled each day by bus. Felicia’s mother, Kathy, described her as a “nice, friendly kid” who was “stubborn, at times.” When asked about her favorite activities, Kathy commented that Felicia liked “to act silly.” She noted that Felicia was an imaginative child who liked to try new things and enjoyed learning. She made friends easily and willingly accepted her friends’ ideas when playing.

According to Kathy, in the fall of 1997, Felicia could button her own clothes, identify the colors red, yellow, blue and green, count up to ten, and recognize some of the letters in the alphabet, including her own name in print. She held her pencil properly and liked to write or pretend to write, especially her first name. By the spring of 1998, although she still experienced difficulty writing her first name, Felicia could identify at least four written numbers and count up to sixteen blocks. Her attention span for reading remained steady from the fall of 1997 to the spring of 1998; she did not have a hard time concentrating and enjoyed being read to for approximately 10 minutes at one time. She would sit and look at a book with pictures and, while pretending to read to herself, she would do much more than just describe each picture-- she connected them into an integrated story. There were many reading materials in the home, including children’s books and novels, magazines for children and catalogs for adults, newspapers, and other reference items such as religious books, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. While Kathy and another household member had read to Felicia everyday during the week prior to the fall parent interview in 1997, both individuals also read to her three or more times a week before her spring interview in 1998.

When asked about her child’s behavior, Kathy’s description improved from the fall of 1997 to the spring of 1998. Initially, she reported that Felicia sometimes was disobedient at home and very often would have temper tantrums . However, during her second parent interview, she noted that her daughter rarely misbehaved at home and only sometimes would experience temper tantrums. Interestingly, in the spring of 1998, although Kathy commented that Felicia sometimes would not get along with other children and would even hit or fight with them, she would very often comfort or help her peers. Similarly, teacher ratings in the spring of 1998 confirmed that she followed classroom directions and rules very often as well as rarely disrupted ongoing activities. Socially, Felicia seemed not only to join in and encourage others to participate in group games but also would very often take turns and, sometimes, even compliment her friends. However, her teacher additionally felt that Felicia often acted withdrawn and lacked confidence in experimenting with new activities. Both in the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998, Kathy reported that Felicia very often needed reassurance that she was behaving well. Yet, both Kathy and her Head Start teacher portrayed Felicia as a happy child with good self-esteem; during both time periods, she typically acted her own age, rarely seemed to worry for too long, and seldom felt inferior.

In both parent interviews, Kathy reported that the family had household rules about the kind of food her daughter ate, when she went to bed, and which chores she was responsible for completing. Although Kathy did not restrict the amount of television that Felicia watched, she monitored the type of television programs seen. Kathy relayed that she had to spank Felicia once as well as send her to time-out twice during the week prior to the fall and spring parent interviews. In the spring of 1998, she noted that she had not learned any new disciplinary techniques from Head Start.

Prior to her enrollment in Head Start, Felicia never experienced child care, either center-based or with an unlicensed caregiver, and, during the program, she was not in child care before or after the Head Start day. She demonstrated excellent health and a had a regular health care provider both in the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998. All of her routine care was paid for by Medicaid at an outpatient clinic in a local hospital. Fortunately, a telephone contact revealed that Felicia only suffered from a common cold and a bout of the flu in December of 1997.

While Kathy did not address any specific hopes and goals for Felicia during her first year at Head Start nor project any short- or long-term educational aspirations, she stated that she hoped “for her to be successful and live a happy life.” She wanted to “leave her life up to her.”

The Head Start Family

This single-parent family consisted of Kathy, and her five children, including Felicia, her sisters, LaShawn, Cheyenne, and Sharice, and her brother, RaShad. English was the language spoken in the household.

Kathy had her high school diploma as well as having attended some college and a vocational school in an effort to obtain a job-related certificate. At the time of her fall parent interview in 1997, Kathy had been unemployed for the past twelve months and Felicia’s biological father, who lived within an hour’s ride, sometimes contributed to the their financial well-being by providing child support. By the spring of 1998, Kathy was collecting unemployment insurance while searching for a job. However, she also received education assistance, and Felicia’s father continued to supplement family funds. Felicia’s father had a high school diploma and worked as a machine operator in both the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998. Kathy reported that her monthly household income ranged somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500 in the fall of 1997 and from $500 to $999 in the spring of 1998. Fortunately, despite her large family and loss of some public assistance benefits, Kathy and Felicia never experienced homelessness nor lived in public or subsidized housing; they lived in a privately rented apartment during both the fall and spring parent interviews. Since Felicia’s birth, the family had received welfare and income assistance, WIC, Medicaid, food stamps, and help from a variety of community agencies. When asked about the extent to which Head Start had helped her family to procure these community services, Kathy explained that they were already receiving income, nutrition, and medical/dental assistance prior to Felicia’s enrollment at Head Start.

Despite her busy schedule, Kathy was very involved with Felicia. She explained that she taught her daughter letters, words, and numbers, often singing songs, playing games, or reading books together during the week prior to the fall parent interview in 1997. Additionally, she also encouraged Felicia to help with household chores, spoke with her about television programs, videos, and her Head Start day, read or told her a story, collaborated with her during an arts and crafts activity, and even joined her playing a sport. Kathy continued to participate in a majority of these activities during the week prior to the spring interview in 1998. Although she did not discuss specific television programs or her Head Start day with her daughter, she taught Felicia more educational counting games. Monthly activities ranged from a trip to the local mall, playground, and park in both the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998. While Kathy also accompanied Felicia to a sporting event in the fall of 1997, she brought her daughter to a community event, ethnic or religious in nature, in the spring of 1998.

Despite the fact that her father was unable to participate in these activities, another household member had also read Felicia a story, taught her letters, words, or numbers, often when singing songs, helped her with chores, and played both indoor and outdoor games or sports with her during the week prior to the fall and spring parent interviews. Additionally, a family member (unspecified) other than her mother also accompanied Felicia to a local playground and a sporting event during the month prior to the fall parent interview as well as to a movie, concert or a play, and a community event before the spring parent interview.

Specifically, in the fall of 1997, Kathy reported that Felicia’s biological father visited her several times throughout the year but only rarely in the spring of 1998. An unidentified, non-household relative who routinely spent time with Felicia acted as both a constant father figure and a role model during both time periods.

In a telephone interview in August of 1998, Kathy revealed that, at best, her family could fulfill twelve out of nineteen fundamental needs. Later, in December of 1998, her need decreased slightly when she reported that fifteen of their basic needs were met. From a broad view, she frequently had enough food for three meals a day, money to pay her monthly bills, and ample resources including clothes, and toys for her children to play with, as well as time to spend with them during both summer and winter months. Kathy reported having a noticeably enhanced financial situation by December of 1998, because she had more funds to spend on basic necessities, furniture for her apartment, family entertainment, travel, personal items, and could even save some money. Perhaps, this positive change reflected Kathy’s improved employment status when she accepted a part-time cashier position in June of 1998. She emphasized, “I really worked at getting it, and I feel good about that.” Although she also had more time to socialize with her friends, realistically, Kathy still could not provide her children with everything that she wanted or have enough time alone. She even reported having experienced less sleep. Kathy emphasized that she would like to “have more money” to “be able to get [the] children things they really want.” When asked about those family strengths that she admired the most, Kathy focused on supportive family interactions. She described her family as “close-knit-- the children play together and watch each other.”

Telephone contacts minimally revealed that Felicia and her sister, Sharice, had colds and the flu in December of 1997. However, Kathy also divulged that another household member suffered from a chronic illness during her fall parent interview. Personally, Kathy characterized her health status as good and had a regular health care provider in both the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998. She received her routine medical care at an outpatient clinic in a local hospital. In the spring of 1998, despite the fact that Kathy reported cigarette smoking in her home, she attributed improvements in her overall health to Head Start. Specifically, she noted her healthier nutritional habits and her enhanced activity level.

When asked about her need for social support, --someone to confide in about personal and private matters-- Kathy’s responses ranged across a continuum in terms of degree, source of, and satisfaction with her support. In January of 1998, she expressed a slight need for intimate support, while she reported no need, especially in terms of parenting, assistance with child care, and daily household tasks, in February, March, and September. Interestingly, in August, Kathy, again, relayed a slight need for intimate support and, similarly, in October, a moderate need for aid with child care. She indicated that she was able to speak with her friends, relatives, and, even her ex-in-laws. However, while she noted very high satisfaction when confiding in her friends, she only reported moderate satisfaction when revealing her personal thoughts and feelings to family members and her ex-in-laws. Overall, in her fall parent interview in 1997, Kathy felt that her friends and Felicia’s grandparents were both very valuable resources in terms of helping her to raise Felicia over the previous six months, whereas the Head Start staff was only somewhat supportive.

In the fall of 1997, Kathy reported feeling easily irritated by circumstances that would not normally bother her, having trouble concentrating on daily tasks, and having difficulty being productive. By contrast, in both her fall and spring parent interviews, although she confirmed that most or all of the time everything she did seemed like an effort, she also described being happy, hopeful about the future, and enjoying life during telephone contacts in June and, later, in November of 1998. Similarly, while she reported rarely feeling depressed or lonely in both her fall parent interview and during these telephone contacts, Kathy also asserted that what happened to her depended on her, and she strongly agreed that she could do anything that she set her mind to in her fall parent interview. Kathy did not delineate any personal hopes and goals during her fall home interview, yet, in the spring, she reported, “No goals last time, but, now, [I] plan to go back to beauty school to get [my] license back.” Having continually expressed a keen interest in her children’s welfare, she explained, “going out looking for a job” was important, “so I can get things for my kids.”

The Family’s Interactions with Head Start

Felicia’s 4-year-old sister, Cheyenne, also attended Head Start during her enrollment. Kathy initially registered Felicia “so she can be with kids her age. Try to teach her so she can be ready for kindergarten.” In general, she envisioned that Head Start would give her daughter a solid academic foundation as well as improve her social interactions with children. Personally, Kathy hoped that Head Start could provide her family with a safe haven from their neighborhood as well as enhance her role as a parent.

During her spring parent interview in 1998, Kathy indicated that she had participated in seven out of sixteen Head Start activities at least once and as many as three times since Felicia’s enrollment. These activities ranged from private parent-teacher conferences, classroom observations, Head Start home visits, and workshops to more collaborative efforts including volunteering with class events, fundraising, and attending meetings for the Head Start Policy Council. Specifically, Kathy recalled a memorable event in which she assisted Cheyenne’s class. “[We] made sashes and caps for graduation for Cheyenne—going to kindergarten next year.” By contrast, she had not yet had the opportunity to prepare classroom food or materials, assist with Head Start newsletters or fliers, or attend educational fieldtrips or social events, either by herself or with another parent. Kathy highly valued her involvement with Head Start, yet she often felt that child care and transportation posed a barrier to her participation. In her spring home interview in 1998, she elaborated, “I have tried to be there, because I have two kids at the school, but don’t go because of the baby. Don’t like to take her out in rain or cold.” Later, when she accepted a part-time cashier position in the spring of 1998, work commitments further impeded her involvement. However, proactive in her approach, Kathy would often attempt to reschedule rather than miss appointments.

Kathy reported high satisfaction with Head Start. With the exception of a telephone interview in December of 1997 in which she felt that Felicia was not learning enough, contacts in January, March, and December of 1998 delineated her positive attitude towards parent-teacher conferences, home visits, and interactions among parents at council meetings. Although Kathy was unable to attend many events, she consistently noted staff efforts to solicit her participation in January, February, March, October, and December. Predominately, satisfaction stemmed from the fact that involvement both helped her to fulfill her goals for Felicia and to improve her role as a parent. When commenting on Felicia’s impression of Head Start, Kathy expressed, “[She’s] happy. She loves it!-- likes the kids and toys and plenty to keep her busy.” She explained that she hoped to instill Felicia with a sense of “values, manners, and what you have to do in life. [To] do what a woman is supposed to do to keep herself clean. Keep her mouth clean. Be a respectable citizen—just because we live in the ghetto, we don’t have to be ghetto.”

Overwhelmingly, Kathy believed that Head Start had a noticeable and a positive impact on Felicia. Specifically, she noted that staff usually seemed open to new information and ideas and always expressed enthusiasm and warmth towards Felicia. She commented, “[I] am quite satisfied. I think that they are teaching her pretty good. Sure teaching her to express her feelings.” However, Kathy also expressed some displeasure with the program’s capacity to meet her family’s needs; she was very dissatisfied with their respect for cultural differences and provision of family services.

When asked about the extent to which she felt she could achieve her goals as a parent, Kathy emphasized the importance of securing a job in order to support her children. With great candor, she explained, “[I] love being a parent. I know that you can’t fully raise a family on one parent, but I’m dong the best I can.” Kathy also felt that Head Start supported her psychological well-being, especially as a single mother whose children had varying developmental needs. “I think I’m teaching her pretty good. My 15-year-old is a good girl. I give her space, but I trust her so I’m going to do the same with the younger girls.” “They [Head Start] have seminars, but I’ve only been to one.” Regarding professional growth, Kathy revisited her vision to return to beauty school but was unable to discern any positive change, stating, “Head Start didn’t help.”

The Family’s Home and Neighborhood

At the time of the fall home interview in 1997, Kathy and Felicia lived in a two-story complex in a large, gated, suburban apartment community. The majority of the homes were comprised of lower-middle class, African-American families who were among the “working poor, economically.” Although within blocks of a freeway exit, the building and environs appeared quiet, clean, and fairly new. Ground maintenance workers were seen around the development, tending to shrubbery and a local swimming pool. The interviewer noted, “The community, itself, seems to be well-maintained.” “There are parking areas in various locations, but each building has a lawn and a sidewalk area in front that is away from car traffic.” There were no abandoned buildings or graffiti. Numerous signs, naming developments or community shopping areas, were observed, yet their commercial nature did little to create a sense of neighborhood identity. Uncertain about the availability of community resources and neighborhood activity, the interviewer noted, “There is…a bus stop across the street from the entrance to the community. I could not tell if there were churches or schools in the area, but there is a great deal of shopping available within walking distance.”

At first glance, the neighborhood appeared to be relatively safe and stable. Outside, people were observed playing and socializing. The interviewer commented, “I noticed adults checking on the children. There were always adults available to ask directions of, but they were not hanging out.” “It seems to be a safe place to raise children…visitors must be buzzed in.” Fortunately, Kathy confirmed that she and Felicia had never been a witness to or a victim of domestic or violent crime in both her fall 1997 and spring 1998 parent interviews. Overall, she had a positive impression of her neighborhood and its community interactions. “Pretty good--Not much problems here. Has rough rack kids, but it is all right.” “Friendly kids. Manager kicks out tenants who give problems right away.” However, Kathy noted a particular area in need of improvement: “[We] don’t have a place for the kids to play, so the kids break things. Need a playground -- Make the parents watch even more.”

A Head Start Family: Narrative D

This narrative documents the family’s life from October of 1997 to December of 1998. Data contributing to this report were obtained from a structured parent interview, a semi-structured home interview, and teacher observations conducted in the fall of 1997 and spring of 1998 as well as monthly telephone contacts from November of 1997 to December of 1998. The names of the family members have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

The Head Start Child

Burt was a 4-year-old biracial boy who lived with his mother and his younger stepbrother in a suburban town in the South. Burt was new to Head Start in the fall of 1997 and attended Head Start five days a week for six hours each day. He lived five minutes away from Head Start and typically got to Head Start each morning by car. His mother, Michelle, reported that “he loves Head Start. He thinks his teacher is wonderful.” In addition, Michelle described Burt as having “a great personality. He’s well-spoken. He knows his manners. He knows right from wrong. I believe he is very intelligent. He speaks his mind. I taught him to speak up and to speak the truth.” According to Michelle, his favorite things to do were “sports, sports, sports, and fishing. I take him and his little brother fishing. We never catch anything but it’s fun. Baseball, hockey and golf are his favorite sports. He loves to watch the football games on t.v.” In addition, his mother said that Burt enjoyed learning, trying new things, was imaginative, made friends easily and liked to comfort or help others. Burt’s teacher indicated that he did not lack confidence in learning new things or trying new activities and that he worked well in groups. He joined group activities without being told to do so, invited others to join in activities, followed rules when playing games with others and helped put materials away after the activity was over.

In the fall of 1997, Michelle reported that Burt could count up to twenty, recognize the colors red, yellow, blue, and green, recognize his first name in writing and some of the letters of the alphabet, button his own clothes, hold a pencil properly and liked to write or pretend to write often, but could not yet write his first name and mostly scribbled when he tried to write. By the spring of 1998, Michelle indicated that Burt could now recognize all of the letters of the alphabet, could write his first name, and wrote clearly rather than scribbling, although he liked to write or pretend to write less often. Burt enjoyed being read to for approximately 30-40 minutes at a time, and would look at a book with pictures and pretend to read himself. In the fall of 1997, Michelle indicated that when Burt pretended to read a book, he could tell you what is in each of the pictures but did not make a connection between each of the pictures yet. However, by the spring of 1998, Burt was able to tell Michelle what was in each of the pictures and make the connection between each of the pictures to tell the story. The family had a variety of reading materials in the home, including children’s books, magazines, religious books, and other books such as novels, but did not have dictionaries or encyclopedias in the home. At the time of the October 1997 interview, Michelle had read to Burt three or more times during the past week; however, during the spring interview Michelle had read to Burt one or two times in the past week.

When asked about his behavior in the fall of 1997, Michelle said that Burt was sometimes disobedient at home and had temper tantrums and hit and fought with other children. In the spring of 1998, Michelle reported that Burt’s behavior had improved somewhat as he was no longer disobedient at home, yet he still sometimes had temper tantrums or fought with others. This acting out behavior was confirmed by Burt’s teacher in the spring. At the time of both of the interviews, Michelle indicated that she had to discipline Burt two times in the past week using time-out. Despite his occasional difficult behavior, Michelle reported that Burt was not an unhappy child and he never seemed to worry about things for a long time. Burt’s teacher also reported that he was not nervous, high-strung or tense, and did not seem to worry about things for a long time, or tend to withdraw from others. However, contrary to Michelle’s reports, Burt’s teacher felt that he sometimes seemed unhappy or sad.

Michelle described Burt’s health as excellent with no chronic illnesses and reported in the spring of 1998 that Burt had only missed one to five days from Head Start due to illness. Monthly telephone conversations from November 1997 to December 1998 indicated that Burt had not been sick at all over that time period. However, in November 1997, Burt did get a cut on his head at Head Start that required him to go to the emergency room and get stitches. Luckily, Burt had a regular health care provider and was covered by Medicaid health insurance.

When asked about hopes and goals for her child during his first year in Head Start, Michelle focused on Burt’s character and moral development, saying “I want him to be a good and moral person.” Regarding educational goals for him, she hoped that he would go to college, and explained her hopes by saying, “I want him to get a good education so he won’t have to struggle as hard as I do.” When asked about her hopes and goals for Burt’s future aspirations, she said that “that will be up to him.”

The Head Start Family

This was a single-parent family with the mother, Michelle (27 years old) living at home with two children, Burt who was 4- years-old and Shawn who was 2-years-old. Michelle was single and a widow (Burt’s father was deceased). During this time, however, her family had remained intact and at the time of the fall 1997 interview had not moved in the last 12 months or had any changes in household composition from November 1997 to December 1998. In addition, Michelle indicated in the spring of 1998 that her fiancé had become a father-figure to her boys.

Michelle had a high school diploma and had attended some college. She worked full-time in a seasonal service occupation maintaining and cleaning boats and estimated her yearly household income was $13,200 in the fall of 1997 and $12,000 in the spring of 1998. Michelle described her health as excellent with no major health problems that restricted or stopped her from working. She also had a regular health care provider and received her routine medical care at a private doctor’s office, although she was not covered by any health insurance.

During the fall interview, Michelle indicated that since Burt’s birth, her family needed and received Medicaid and food/nutrition services as well as assistance with child care. At the time of the spring 1998 interview, Michelle’s family continued to receive Medicaid as well as assistance with child care and transportation. In addition to his time at Head Start, Burt was cared for at a licensed child care center for 7-10 hours per week. This was the same child care center that Burt attended prior to enrolling at Head Start, as well as where his younger brother Shawn currently attended on a full-time basis. This care was paid in part by a government subsidy. Michelle indicated that Head Start did not help her family get child care or transportation services (they obtained them on their own) nor did they need Head Start to help them procure or receive any of the other services since they were already receiving them before Burt began Head Start. In telephone interviews in July and December of 1998, Michelle shared that her family was always or frequently able to have enough money or resources to meet basic needs, such as food, clothing, monthly bills and other necessities. However, she reported that the family rarely or never had enough money or resources to travel or take vacations and only sometimes had enough time to socialize or be with friends.

When asked to describe her family’s strengths or positive qualities, Michelle focused on the support she received from her extended family. “Well, my Mom and Dad and brother and sister live nearby. The boys are the first grandchildren and they enjoy them a lot! My dad is a sheriff and they learn a lot of good things from him, the right values. I see them all the time. I take the boys to the “Y”, where my sister works, 3-4 times a week.” Michelle suggested that her parents influenced her own parenting beliefs. “I think it is important to teach my kids the same morals my parents taught me. Teach them to have respect for people and the good things in the world. I also want them to be comfortable with the fact that they are biracial.” Michelle was very satisfied being a parent. “I love being a parent. My boys are the most important things to me and my fiancé loves them! We have such a good time and I like to do things with them.” In her role as a parent, she received support from a number of sources. “My parents are great, Head Start is great, and so is child care and I have lots of help.” When asked about areas she would like to see her family improve or change, Michelle said, “I’d like my fiancé to be here full time. He loves kids and wants to adopt both boys. His father is a corporal in the army so he has strong morals.” Concerns about her future family along with work goals were important to her in the fall of 1997 when asked about her own personal hopes and goals. “Well, I’m looking forward to marrying my fiancé. The boys love him. I also hope to take over the company I work for. I have worked there three years and my boss is bringing me into the business to take over when he retires.” By the spring of 1998, Michelle had made some progress toward her goals. “At work my boss made me a supervisor so I can spend more time in the office and talking to customers and doing the books. It’s a small company - just seven people - but it’s a lot of responsibility and I really like it! Also, I have always hoped to own my own house and my boss helped me apply to Habitat for Humanity and I’ve been approved. I’m so excited! They are building 15 homes in the neighborhood and I qualify for a three bedroom! I am already planning!”

Michelle expressed a moderate need for intimate social support -- someone to talk to about things that were personal and private -- in January 1998. She was very satisfied with the intimate support she received from her fiancé and mother during that month. In August of 1998, Michelle had no need for intimate support and continued to receive support (if needed) from her mother. Regarding support in helping her raise her children, in October of 1997, Michelle indicated that her mother and father, Head Start staff and other child care providers, as well as members of a religious/social group were very helpful. However, by the May, 1998 parent interview, Michelle said that the Head Start staff, other child care providers, and members of a religious/social group, were now only somewhat helpful in helping her raise her children. She still found the support she received from her mother and father, as well as someone else who was not identified, as being very helpful. In February and September, 1998, Michelle was very satisfied with the support she received from her mother, whom she sought out for advice and information about parenting, saying, “I talk to my mother every day and she gives me lots of advice. Every time I tell a cute story about the kids, she gives me advice about what it might mean and what I should do.” Michelle rarely or never felt depressed and strongly felt that she could control her own destiny - that she could do anything she set her mind to do. In June and November of 1998 she was happy, enjoyed life and hopeful about the future most or all of the time.

During the fall 1997 and spring 1998 interview, Michelle indicated that the family had household rules regarding the type of shows and how long Burt could watch television, the time he goes to bed, the kinds of food he could eat and what chores he was to do each week. Despite being a single parent with a full-time job, Michelle spent time with Burt. In the week prior to the fall 1997 interview, Michelle told Burt a story and worked on letters and numbers with him. She also took him along while she did errands, had him help her with household chores, and talked with him about his Head Start day. Within the past month, she and Burt had visited a mall and playground, seen a movie and attended a community event. Likewise, in the week prior to the spring visit, Michelle had worked on letters and numbers, sang songs, and played indoor games with Burt. She also took him on errands, had him help with household chores, and talked with him about his Head Start day. In the month prior to the spring visit, she and Burt visited the library and mall and the entire family, along with Michelle’s fiancé, went to the zoo, visited a playground, and attended a family, religion and sporting event.

The Family’s Interactions with Head Start

The family had only been involved with Head Start for one month at the time of our October 1997 interview. Michelle’s primary reasons for enrolling Burt in Head Start were to prepare him academically for school and to establish school as a positive thing in his life. “He’s been in day care but I’m hoping Head Start will teach him more. I hope he’ll learn his letters and numbers. I also hope he’ll learn to like to go to school and get into the habit of school.” From November 1997 to June 1998 Michelle was unable to attend four of the six Head Start events in which she was invited to participate due to work demands, including two parent meetings, a birthday party, and a volunteer opportunity. While Michelle had not participated in as many events as she would have liked by the spring of 1998 “because I work every day” she still felt that participation in Head Start was important and that “I always make a point of walking Burt into class every morning and talking to the teacher.” In May of 1998, Michelle did participate in a home visit by a Head Start family service worker who brought the family a box of food items. The entire family also attended Burt’s graduation from Head Start. Michelle was very pleased. “They had a beautiful graduation. Each class performed songs and they called each child by name to graduate. It was great. The kids had a great time.”

Michelle expected Head Start to impact Burt and her family in terms of academic readiness. In a telephone contact made in December 1997, Michelle said that Head Start was meeting Burt’s needs and that “he really likes it and looks forward to it. He’s doing fine. I talk to his teacher every day when I drop him off.” In addition, she also felt that Head Start was meeting the needs of her family “by giving Burt a good experience with school.” Michelle continued to be satisfied with Head Start at the time of the spring interview. “I think it’s great. At the beginning of the year I was disappointed because they kept having new assistant teachers - about six of them- and I felt like they were not teaching Burt but now I think the teachers are wonderful and Burt is really learning a lot. I want Shawn to go to Head Start - either that or Pre-K.” In a subsequent conversation in July, Michelle indicated that she thought Burt was “very ready” academically, socially, and physically for kindergarten in the fall, and was very satisfied with what Head Start had done to help Burt make the transition. Her only suggestions for improvement were for the program to focus more on academic skills and have day care available after the Head Start day.

The Family’s Home and Neighborhood

At the time of the October home visit, the family lived in a single-family home in a neighborhood that “gives you a feeling of being almost rural.” The FACES home visit interviewer described the family’s home as a “one-story, duplex, split down the middle. The inside was neat but furniture and carpet were dark brown, spotted and shabby.” In the spring, the same interviewer indicated that the home was clean and less cluttered and crowded than the previous visit and that the walls of the house had been freshly painted. Michelle had purchased new living room furniture, although the carpet was still seriously soiled.

The interviewer described the neighborhood in the fall of 1997 as “having no trees, shrubs, or flowers” and the family’s house as “one of many identical row houses all painted pale green.” There were a couple of abandoned buildings in the neighborhood as well as abandoned cars and litter or trash in a few of the neighborhood’s streets and yards. No community or neighborhood resources, such as parks, schools, churches, or businesses were within one half mile of the home.

Michelle felt that her neighborhood was “pretty nice. It’s mixed ethnically and there’s no racism. That’s important since my kids are mixed.” She felt her neighborhood’s strengths were “all the kids and the fact (that) people help each other and the fact that there are lots of different people - different races. And the kids all get along.” When asked whether her neighborhood was a good place to raise children Michelle said “It’s o.k. It’s quiet. There’s not a lot of traffic so I can let the boys out and not worry about them. There are lots of kids and I like them in and out of my house, so I can keep an eye on what’s going on. All their parents are nice and we all pitch in and help each other. When asked about improvements she would make to her neighborhood, Michelle indicated that “some of the landlords don’t keep the property up. It would be good to get them to clean them up and repair them.” The neighborhood did have some abandoned or boarded up buildings, but did not have any graffiti or vandalism, or have any problems with adolescents or adults loitering in the neighborhood. In terms of neighborhood resources, Michelle reported that their neighborhood had a day care, center, community center, supermarket, pharmacy, church and elementary school as well as having access to public transportation. However, their neighborhood lacked a public library, public playground, or doctor’s (pediatrician’s) office. Michelle considered her neighborhood a safe place and reported that neither she nor anyone in her family had heard, witnessed or been a victim of a violent crime.

A Head Start Family: Narrative E

This narrative documents the family’s life from October of 1997 to December of 1998. Data contributing to this report were obtained from a structured parent interview, a semi-structured home interview, teacher reports, and child assessments conducted in the fall of 1997 and spring of 1998 as well as monthly telephone contacts from November of 1997 to December of 1998. The names of the family members have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

The Head Start Child

Troy was a 3-year-old White boy who lived with his mother, stepfather, and his five brothers and sisters in a rural town in the Midwest. Troy was new to Head Start in the fall of 1997 and attended Head Start four days a week for four hours each day. He lived 30 minutes away from Head Start and typically got to Head Start each morning by car and school bus. His mother, Julie, described him as “a great 3-year-old. Never had ‘terrible twos’ - he’s just great.” According to Julie, “his favorite thing on earth is Power Rangers - he loves Power Rangers.” In addition, his mother said that Troy enjoyed learning, trying new things, was imaginative and made friends easily. Troy’s teacher, however, indicated that he lacked confidence in learning new things or trying new activities and did not work well during group times. He never joined group activities without being told to do so, never invited other to join in activities, often disrupted ongoing activities, never followed rules when playing games with others, and only sometimes helped put materials away after the activity was over.

Julie also reported that in the fall of 1997 Troy could count up to ten, recognize the colors red, yellow, blue, and green, button his clothes, and hold a pencil properly. He often liked to write or pretend to write, but mostly that consisted of scribbling. Troy also could not recognize any of the letters of the alphabet or write or recognize his first name yet. However, Troy enjoyed being read to for approximately 10 minutes at a time, and would look at a book with pictures and pretend to read himself. When Troy pretended to read a book, he could tell you what was in each of the pictures, but did not make a connection between each of the pictures yet. By the spring of 1998, Julie indicated that Troy could now recognize some letters of the alphabet but had made no progress in terms of counting, writing, and recognizing his first name. He still continued to mostly scribble rather than writing or drawing, but he now enjoyed being read to for an hour at a time every night, although he will no longer look at a book and pretend to read himself. His teacher also reported that Troy did not show interest in reading activities. The family had a variety of reading materials in the home, including children’s books, magazines, newspapers, religious books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other books such as novels, and Julie read to Troy every day during the week prior to both the fall and spring visits.

When asked about his behavior in the fall of 1997, Julie said that Troy was not disobedient at home, but had temper tantrums very often and sometimes hit and fought with others. Julie indicated that she sent Troy to time out four times in the week prior to our visit. Despite his behavior, Julie reported that Troy was not an unhappy child and he never seemed to worry about things for a long time. In the spring of 1998, Julie indicated that Troy continued to have some of the same behavior problems. He still had temper tantrums, hit, and fought with others and was now somewhat disobedient at home. She reported that Troy was sent to time out seven times during the week prior to the spring visit. Troy’s teacher agreed that Troy often hit or fought with other children in the classroom, had temper tantrums, and disobeyed rules or requests.

Interestingly, Julie now felt that Troy was somewhat unhappy, could not concentrate for long and fidgeted a lot, but still did not seem to worry about things for a long time or act nervous or too young for his age. Troy’s teacher agreed with Julie that Troy often appeared to be unhappy or sad and had a difficult time concentrating for long. She also felt that he often seemed sleepy or tired in class and fidgeted all the time. Unlike Julie, Troy’s teacher felt that he did worry about things for too long and was somewhat nervous and immature.

Julie described Troy’s health as “excellent” with no chronic illness although she did report that he had a speech impairment that impacted his learning. She felt that he was not yet understandable to a stranger when he talked. In the fall of 1997, Julie had not yet participated in an individual education plan (IEP) at Head Start and reported that they had not been given the opportunity. However, in December Head Start told Julie that Troy’s speech problems were developmental and he did not need speech therapy so she got a speech therapist for Troy on her own. In the spring of 1998, Julie reported that Troy had missed only one to five days of Head Start, mostly because Troy did not want to go, not because he was ill. Monthly telephone conversations from November of 1997 to December of 1998 indicate that Troy had been sick only once in January 1998 at which time all six children in the family were sick with the flu. It is unclear if they went to the doctor at that time but Julie did report that Troy did have a regular health care provider and was covered by health insurance.

When asked about her hopes and goals for Troy during his first year in Head Start, Julie said, “I really hope he outgrows his speech problem and (will be) getting along with other kids.” She also hoped that they remained close. “I hope I stay as close to him as I’ve always been. When the other two (siblings) went to school last year - him and I had lots of quality time together. We really bonded.” Regarding educational goals for him, she indicated that in the short-term she “assumed he’ll go to Kindergarten next year but I have a feeling he won’t be ready. Pre-Kindergarten (classes) is every other day so that would be 2 years of every other day. Pre-1st (classes) is every day so we will do that if (he is) not ready for 1st (grade).” In the long-term “I expect him to go to college. We have already set up something whether he likes it or not.” When talking about her hopes and goals for Troy’s future, she referenced her hopes for him relative to his older brother: “He has an older brother (1/2 brother) that doesn’t do much with his life. I would hope he would always be happy. I imagine he will be the most content, happy, and social - the other is more stand-offish.”

The Head Start Family

The family is a blended two-parent family with the mother, Julie (29-years-old) and father, Dirk (43-years-old) living at home with six children (three girls, Angela, Tiffany, and Destiny who are age 17, 5, and 1; three boys, Troy, Kyle, and Dakota who are age 3, 4 and 1). Julie and Dirk are currently married. With the exception of the eldest daughter, Angela, who moved out of the house in June 1998, this family has remained intact. At the time of the fall of 1997 interview, they had not moved in the last 12 months and had no changes in their household composition from November of 1997 to December of 1998.

Julie and Dirk both have a high school diploma (or GED) and Julie had attended some college beyond high school. Both Julie and Dirk worked full-time “shift work” jobs in the auto industry and estimated their yearly household income was $30,000 in the fall of 1997 and $96,000 in the spring of 1998. The discrepancy in household income is explained, in part, by the fact that both Julie and Dirk had periods where they worked a lot of overtime (i.e., 60 hour work weeks). However, both Julie and Dirk went on strike in June of 1998 and collected unemployment insurance until they went back to work in August of 1998.

Julie described her health as “excellent” with no major health problems that restricted or stopped her from working and was only sick once in November of 1997 for four days with a cold. Julie was covered by health insurance, had a regular health care provider, and received her routine medical care at her provider’s private office. Troy’s 4-year-old brother, Kyle, was sick in October of 1998 for a few weeks with a viral infection that eventually was diagnosed as hepatitis A and spent a day in the hospital because of his illness.

In the fall of 1997, Julie reported that her family had needed assistance with child care and food/nutrition since Troy’s birth. Child care services for Troy and his older siblings were provided directly from Head Start for 14 hours per week and paid for by the family. By the spring of 1998 interview, they continued to need help with child care; however, their child care arrangement had changed from Head Start to a non-relative who watched the children in their home for 14 hours each week. The family continued to pay for the child care. Prior to Troy beginning Head Start, the family received child care services in the home of an unlicensed baby sitter. The family indicated that Head Start did not help them procure or receive the child care and food/nutrition services they needed or received. The family’s youngest son, 1-year-old Dakota, was being tested for a language problem in June of 1998. In October of 1998, Julie shared that her 4-year-old son Kyle was going to start seeing a psychiatrist to address emotional and behavioral issues at school. “I don’t see it (the problem), the teacher sees it. He has trouble in class in terms of temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way and he cries a lot in school. Personally, I think it is because every other day he thinks it is not so bad to be at home.” In telephone interviews in July and December of 1998, Julie indicated that her family was always or frequently able to have enough money or resources to meet the basic needs of the family, such as food, clothing, monthly bills and other necessities. She felt the family frequently or always had enough money to take vacations or for family entertainment, and was able to save. However, she rarely or never had enough time to be with her spouse or with close friends.

When asked to describe her family’s strengths or positive qualities, Julie focused on the family’s composition and positive relationships. “I actually really like that it’s big and I think my kids are really good. I really like the fact that we’re really close.” These qualities, as well as the inherent challenges that come with having a large family, were also important to her when asked about her personal hopes and goals. “I hope I don’t get really stressed out with five kids. I’m doing really good but I have a feeling I’ll get burnt out. Luckily they’re pretty good.” When asked about areas she would like to see her family improve or change, she said, “I’d like to improve the fact that we work too much (and need to) spend more time together. I think we’ll be able to do that when they’re in school (and) maybe their dad will get another shift. I’d like to be a normal family.”

It was important for Julie to teach her children to be honest, to care for others, and not be afraid to express their feelings for one another. Julie said, “My most important goal for Troy is that he knows that I love him. My mom was standoffish as a parent and it’s something that really bothered me as a kid. When he is 18, I want to be able to go up to him and give him a kiss and a hug and for him not to feel uncomfortable.” Julie shared more about her goals as a parent. “I’d like my children to not be liars. I’d like them to be honest and I hope that my children would care about other people’s feelings.”

Julie was “pretty satisfied” being a parent. She said, “I like it a lot better than I thought I would. I didn’t want children (when younger). If you could have told me then that I’d have five kids. Even my mom tells me I never thought I’d be able to handle it like I do.” When asked what sorts of things could help her as a parent, Julie said, “I need organizational skills. I think having a lot of kids you need to get organized - so you can keep the kids appointments and things straight.”

Regarding support in helping her raise her children, in the fall of 1997 Julie stated that her husband, Dirk, as well as the Head Start staff and other child care providers were very helpful. By the spring of 1998, Julie said that Head Start staff, other child care staff, and Troy’s grandparents were only somewhat helpful in helping her raise her children but that the support she received from her mother and other professional help givers was very helpful. Between January and September of 1998, Julie expressed a very great need for intimate social support -someone to talk to about things that were personal and private. She was satisfied with the intimate support she received from her husband and other relatives during that month; seven months later she reported that she no longer had a need. In February, Julie reported that she was satisfied with the support she received from a co-worker whom she sought out for advice and information about parenting. “She has a lot of kids, like me.” One month later, she was satisfied with the support she received from her husband regarding taking care of the daily needs of their children. By September, she again indicated a slight need for someone to talk to for advice about parenting and reported that she was moderately satisfied with the advice she received from her mother, her sister, and sister-in-law.

Julie rarely or never felt depressed and felt that she could control her own destiny - that she could do anything she set her mind to do - although she did feel helpless dealing with some of the larger problems in her life. She sometimes felt there was little or nothing she could do to change the important things in her life. She indicated in June and again in November of 1998 that she was happy, enjoyed life, and was hopeful about the future most or all of the time.

During the fall and spring interviews, Julie indicated that the family had household rules regarding the type of shows and how long Troy could watch television, the time he had to go to bed, and what chores he was to do each week. In addition, although Julie and Dirk had full-time jobs, she reported that they both spent time with Troy doing various activities. Within a one-week period prior to the fall of 1997 interview, Julie said she told Troy a story and worked on letters and numbers with him. Both Julie and Dirk took him along while they did errands, had him help with household chores, and talked with him about his Head Start day. Troy’s siblings also taught him letters, words, or numbers, played games, sang songs, and worked on arts and crafts with him. Julie said within the past month that her family had visited a mall, visited a playground, and attended a community event with Troy. Dirk and Troy also attended a sporting event together. Likewise, in the spring of 1998, the family continued to be actively involved with Troy. Julie had told Troy a story, worked on letters, words or numbers, sang songs, played games (indoors) within the week prior to the interview. Julie also took him on errands, had him help with household chores and talked with him about his Head Start day, while Troy’s father had played games, sports, or exercised with him in the past week. In addition, in the past month the whole family went to the mall and saw a movie while Troy and his father also attended a sporting event.

The Family’s Interactions with Head Start

Three of the family’s children (Troy, Kyle, and Tiffany) had recently or were currently attending Head Start, giving this family three years of involvement with the program by the spring of 1998. This familiarity with Head Start was an important factor when Julie talked about her primary reasons for enrolling Troy in Head Start: “Because Tiffany and Kyle went last year and he (Troy) was devastated (that he could not go, too). But I also think Tiffany and Kyle benefited, too. When you have so many kids you can’t give them all the attention they need.”

Monthly telephone conversations from November 1997 to June 1998 indicate that the family participated in 8 out of the 13 Head Start events to which they were invited. Troy’s parents were unable to attend two parent meetings, a Thanksgiving potluck dinner, and a “family day” in December because of work constraints: “I work 8 hours a day, 6-7 days per week, have five kids and I’m not taking time away from them. I will probably never attend because I have too many kids.” In November 1997, Julie was able to attend a parent-teacher meeting but was unsatisfied with the meeting and upset that the teacher had confused her child currently in Head Start (Troy) with her son in Head Start last year (Kyle) by commenting that “he doesn’t cry as much as he used to” when, in fact, she said he “never cried.” The family was able to participate in three of the five field trips or classroom activities, including a family dance and taco lunch in January 1998, and had Head Start staff visit in their home, as well as participate in “fun night” in March. Julie talked about the family’s experience at “fun night.” “It had a place for the kids to color bags where you could write names and color. All the kids could do that. They had a place where you could lay down and trace the kid’s bodies. Also had games that all the kids at different ages could play.” Julie and her family were very satisfied with these events.

During the spring of 1998 interview, Julie reported that she was able to observe in Troy’s classroom for more than 30 minutes, attended Head Start social events with her spouse, prepared newsletters or fliers, and called another Head Start parent three or more times. Julie also prepared food or materials for a Head Start event, attended parent-teacher conferences, had a Head Start staff member do a home visit, and attended a Head Start event with another adult one or two times in the past school year. Julie had not yet volunteered in the classroom, attended workshops, or participated in Policy Council meetings or fundraising activities. Despite her busy work schedule and limited time, Julie indicated that she felt it was “pretty important” for her to participate in Head Start activities “because we have a large family and we do not do a lot outside the house. It’s important that we can take all the kids and have fun without being really stressed out.” Yet Julie felt it would make it easier for her to attend Head Start activities if they would “make the events at 7 o’clock or later because my husband gets out of work at 7 o’clock and then there are two adults (to help with all the kids).”

While Julie expected Head Start to impact Troy in terms of academic readiness and give him the personal attention he needed, she did not expect Head Start to impact her family in any way. In December, 1997 Julie indicated that Head Start was “sort of” meeting the needs of her child, Troy, but felt that they were not being proactive enough in identifying and giving him services related to his speech problems. In the spring of 1998 Julie said, “I would say I’m pretty satisfied with it. I feel the kids have educationally advanced because of it although sometimes I don’t know what the goals are though. What goals I’ve learned were from Tiffany going through Head Start already and I can use that to help find what I want them to work on with Troy.” Julie was “very satisfied“ that the Head Start program maintained a safe environment for children, respected family culture and was open to ideas. She felt the program was often safe and secure, that the teacher was open to new information, and often treated her with respect -- making her feel welcomed and supported. Julie was “somewhat satisfied” with how well the program had helped Troy grow, develop, and be prepared for kindergarten - she felt that the teacher was sometimes warm and affectionate and showed an interest in Troy. Julie was somewhat dissatisfied with Head Start in terms of providing services for Troy, yet she felt that Troy sometimes received enough individual attention from the teacher and was happy in the program. In July of 1998, Julie thought Troy was “very ready” socially for kindergarten in the fall but only “somewhat ready” academically and physically. She was somewhat satisfied with what Head Start had done to help Troy make the transition to kindergarten: “I actually have not been as impressed with Head Start when I compare how ready Troy is for kindergarten to Kyle. I don’t think Troy’s teacher had enough control over the class - Troy slept during class and he’d get so upset because kids were picking on him. I don’t think they would let him in kindergarten. I think he would be in pre-K because he still doesn’t talk very much. Kyle’s teacher had control and she had him doing things I never thought he’d do.” Julie felt that Head Start could improve if it had extended hours and longer days and had better communication with parents.

The Family’s Home and Neighborhood

At the time of the October home visit, the family lived in a single-family home in a rural neighborhood. The FACES home visit interviewer described the family’s home in the fall of 1997 as “a small home that had additions (expanded). Very nice - some work left to do. Very open.” In the spring of 1998 the same interviewer indicated that the home was “clean but cluttered with kids’ toys although this clutter did not make the home too crowded, unsafe or really dirty.”

In the spring of 1998, Julie described her neighborhood as “a good place” to raise children. “There’s a lot for kids to do with the lake… lots of kids … kind of rural. Big yards, big houses, lots of people the same age with kids the same age. We’re friends in here - like last weekend, we had snow so we all ‘snowmobiled’ and had a big bonfire.” When asked about changes she would make to her neighborhood, she said, “The fact that it is getting larger - they are starting to develop it more.” Also, we “are so far from the grocery store and things like that. I would have them be closer.”

The interviewer described the family’s neighborhood in the fall of 1997 as “a small, largely white, working-class neighborhood that sits on a lake located in a rural area. Most of the houses in the area were well-kept single family homes with large yards.” The neighborhood was described as “a great place to raise children with lots of space outside, and areas for children to play such as the woods and the lake. It also seemed like a small enough neighborhood that kids probably all can play together.” The neighborhood was also described as “very safe” by the interviewer and Julie, who reported that neither she nor anyone in her family had heard, witnessed, or been a victim of a violent crime in their neighborhood in the past few years. However, since the neighborhood was in a rural area, community resources were limited. “There is really nothing nearby except a convenience store, and that is a few miles away.” The only two resources Julie identified within a half-mile of her home were a convenience store and a neighborhood watch program - no park or public playground, day care center, bank, doctor’s office, church, elementary school, or public library.

A Head Start Family: Narrative F

This narrative documents the family’s life from October of 1997 to December of 1998. Data contributing to this report were obtained from a structured parent interview, a semi-structured home interview, teacher reports and child observations conducted in the fall of 1997 and spring of 1998, as well as monthly telephone contacts from November of 1997 to December of 1998. The names of the family members have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

The Head Start Child

Tim was a 5-year-old White boy who lived with his mother and brother in a rural town in the Southwest. Tim was new to Head Start in the fall of 1997 and attended Head Start four days a week for four hours each day. He lived 30 minutes away from Head Start and typically got to Head Start each morning by riding on the Head Start school bus. His mother, Linda, described him as “an emotional child. He can be laughing at one thing and turn around and get upset. His emotions surprise me for someone so young. One thing about him though is he can find humor in just about anything.” Tim “enjoys playing.” “He likes motorcycles. Ever since he was two. He enjoys his bike. He recently removed the training wheels and he built himself a little jump.” In addition, his mother said that Tim enjoyed learning, trying new things, was imaginative, and made friends easily. Tim’s teacher agreed, indicating that he made friends easily, was confident about learning new things or trying new activities, that he worked well in groups by following rules and waiting his turn when playing games with others, as well as helping to put materials away after the activity is over. He also sometimes joined group activities without being told to do so or invited others to join.

Linda reported that in the fall of 1997 Tim could count up to five, recognize some of the letters of the alphabet, as well as recognize his first name in writing, and knew the colors red, yellow, blue, and green. Tim could hold a pencil properly, and mostly wrote and drew versus scribble, yet while he liked to write or pretended to write often, he could not write his first name. He could, however, button his own clothes. Tim enjoyed being read to for approximately 30 minutes at a time, and would look at a book with pictures and pretend to read himself. While pretending to read, he would tell you what was in each of the pictures and make a connection between them. Linda reported that she read to Tim everyday during the week prior to the fall visit.

In the spring of 1998 Linda reported that Tim could now count up to twenty and write his first name. He still enjoyed being read to for 30 minutes at a time and he continued to pretend to read books. Tim’s teacher added that he would answer questions about a story that had been read and could then repeat part of the story. The family had a variety of reading materials in the home, including children’s books, comic books, children’s magazines, newspapers, religious books, dictionaries and encyclopedias, as well as other books such as novels. Linda reported having read to Tim three or more times during the week prior to the spring interview.

When asked about his behavior in the fall of 1997, Linda said that Tim was not disobedient at home but that sometimes he acted too young for his age, had temper tantrums, and hit or fought with others. Linda had to discipline Tim two times in the week prior to the fall interview, using time-out. Linda also felt that Tim was sometimes unhappy, sad, or depressed, and he seemed to worry about things for a long time, although she did not think that he felt worthless or inferior. By the spring of 1998, Linda reported that now Tim was often disobedient at home, continued to act too young for his age, and was still having temper tantrums and getting into fights sometimes. She had to discipline Tim two times in the week prior to the spring interview, using time-out. However, Tim’s teacher had a slightly different perception of his behavior. She felt that he did not act immaturely and never had temper tantrums, or fight with others at school. Just as in the fall, Linda again reported that Tim was often an unhappy, sad or depressed child, and he continued to worry about things for too long a time. Unfortunately, she now also reported that Tim often felt worthless or inferior. Tim’s behavior at Head Start appeared again to be different from his behavior at home. His teacher reported that Tim did not seem to be unhappy, sad or depressed although she did believe that he sometimes worried about things for too long. She felt that he was not restless, fidgety or nervous in class.

Linda described Tim’s health as “excellent” with no chronic illness. In the spring of 1998 Linda reported that Tim missed only one to five days of Head Start due to illness during the past school year. Monthly telephone interviews from November 1997 to December 1998 indicate that Tim had not been sick at all during that time period. He had a regular health care provider and was covered by Medicaid health insurance.

When asked about hopes and goals for her child during his first year in Head Start, Linda said, “I hope he’s prepared for kindergarten. I don’t want him to get behind or to struggle in any way. I want him to be comfortable before he enters kindergarten. My goal is to make it as easy as possible for him.” Regarding educational goals for him, she indicated that in the short-term she wanted him to master educational tasks appropriate for his age – “to learn the basic fundamentals and learn to write his name.” For the long-term, Linda said, “I want him to go to college.” “[I want] Tim to get an education and be the boss of all the people under him… to be happy in his life.”

The Head Start Family

This was a single-parent family with the mother, Linda (30 years old) living with her two children, Keith, who was 9-years-old and his younger brother, Tim, who was 5-years-old. Linda was divorced from the children’s father, who lived in California. The children’s father contributed child support to the family and saw the children several times a year. In the fall of 1997, Linda reported that the children also had a father figure who was a relative, but in the spring of 1998 this father figure was no longer mentioned. Linda and her family moved twice in the 12 months prior to the fall interview - they moved from the West coast to the Southwest in July of 1997 and then moved to another Southwest State in June of 1998 to be closer to family and the children’s father. The family had no changes in household composition from November of 1997 to December of 1998.

Linda had a high school diploma (or GED) and in the spring of 1998 was attending college full-time, working toward an Associates degree. Linda was not employed and had not been employed for the past year. She estimated her yearly household income to be approximately $13,000. Linda entered job training in November 1997.

Linda described her health as “very good” although she reported that a major health problem restricted or stopped her from working. Monthly telephone interviews between November 1997 and December 1998 indicate that Linda had not been sick at all over that time period. She was covered by health insurance although she did not have a regular health care provider. During the fall 1997 parent interview, Linda reported that the family needed and received Medicaid and child support assistance since Tim’s birth as well as assistance with food/nutrition services (i.e., food stamps). In the spring of 1998, Linda again indicated that her family needed and received Medicaid, child support and food/nutritional assistance, as well as educational aid/grants and child care assistance. However, while Linda reported that her family needed help with adult medical/dental care in the spring of 1998, they had not received this help. Head Start did not help them procure or receive any of these services.

Tim attended a licensed child care center, paid for by a government agency, for 18 hours per week since the fall of 1997, in addition to Head Start. This arrangement changed when the family moved in the summer of 1998. From August to December of 1998, child care was provided in the home of a friend or neighbor who was not regulated or licensed.

During telephone interviews conducted in July and December, Linda shared that her family was sometimes able to have enough money or resources to meet basic needs, such as food, clothing, monthly bills and other necessities. The family rarely or never had enough money to take family vacations or to save, and only sometimes had enough for family entertainment. Linda felt they frequently or always had enough time together as a family or to be with the kids, but only sometimes had enough time to socialize or be with close friends.

When asked to describe her family’s strengths or positive qualities, Linda focused on the family’s positive relationships, good communication, and family activities. “I like how the boys and I get along. We play sports. We play baseball. I try to raise them where we can communicate openly. Communication and loving each other, quality time, trying to make them feel special -- these are all positive qualities.” Linda suggested there were a number of areas her family could improve. “I wish my boys had their own rooms. There are times I wish I could teach them to appreciate each other. Then, there are times I wish I could be at home all the time, be there for them. Not have to work. But, then I need that for myself. Basically, I need to get involved with adults and be my own person - socialize.”

When asked about problems that the family was having that may have interfered with Tim’s adjustment to Head Start, Linda focused on her recent divorce and Tim’s behavior. “We moved from California in July. His father and I got a divorce, and his father remarried in California. He was having a hard time with that. But he’s pretty much adjusted. The other thing is his temper. He explodes. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he pouts. He has little patience for wanting things done his way and if it doesn’t happen his way he gets angry. He has little patience with other people.” In terms of her own hopes and goals in the fall of 1997, Linda shared, “My hope is to have a career that I am happy doing. I like the secretarial field, get to meet several different people. I want to go back to college. You can never have too much education. Within three years I want everything settled, to have a new car, a new place, to have a house that doesn’t own you.” By the spring of 1998 Linda had met her personal goal of going to college and “never thought she would do it.” Her new goals were to “get a four-year (college) degree and maybe become a teacher.”

Linda believed that in her role as a parent it was important for her to “listen to him (Tim), be there when he needs me, and encourage him to be himself.” Linda felt she had been successful in doing these things for Tim because “I make it a goal to do these things.” Linda also enjoyed being a parent. She said, “There are surprises every day (but I) wouldn’t trade it for anything.” When asked what things could help her as a parent she replied, “Give me more hours in the day!”

Regarding the need for support, Linda had no need for intimate support (someone to talk to about things that were personal or private) in August, but a slight need for informational support (someone to talk to for advice about parenting) in September. She was very satisfied with the help she received from her mother and sister. In October, Linda had no need for instrumental support (someone to help her with the daily needs of her children), but a slight need for someone to help her with daily household tasks. Unfortunately, no one was available to provide that help. During the parent interview in the fall of 1997, Linda was asked about the type of social support she needed and received from others to help her raise her children. Tim’s father and grandparents, as well as the Head Start staff and religious/social group members were very helpful to her. Their support continued through the spring, when Linda mentioned that Tim’s child care staff and professional help givers were also very supportive in terms of helping her raise her children. In addition to feeling very supported, Linda also reported in the fall and spring interviews that she rarely or never felt depressed and strongly felt that she could control her own destiny - that she could do anything she set her mind to do. She indicated in telephone interviews in November of 1997 and again in 1998 that she was happy, enjoyed life, and was hopeful about the future most or all of the time.

During the fall and spring interviews, Linda reported that the family had household rules regarding the amount and type of television programs that Tim was allowed to watch, the time Tim goes to bed, and what chores he did each week. Linda spent time with Tim doing various activities. Within the one-week period prior to the fall interview, Linda told Tim a story, helped him learn letters, words and numbers as well as songs. She took him along while she did errands, had him help her with household chores, and talked with him about his Head Start day. Within the month prior to the interview, Linda and Tim had visited a mall, a museum and a playground, as well as seen a movie and attended a community event. Likewise, in the week prior to the spring 1998 interview, Linda had told Tim a story, helped him learn letters, words and numbers, and talked about his Head Start day. The entire family went on errands together and played with toys or games indoors. They also played a sport or game outside together. Over the prior month, the entire family went to the library, a movie, the mall, a museum, playground and a sporting event.

The Family’s Interactions with Head Start

The family had only been involved with Head Start for one month at the time of our fall 1997 interview. The primary reason for enrolling Tim in Head Start was to prepare him for kindergarten and because Linda had confidence in the Head Start program. “When I put Keith in kindergarten I wished he had been better prepared. So, I decided when Tim was old enough, I would put him in pre-school. I decided to put him in Head Start because I knew from my relative that it was such a good program.” Linda expected that Head Start would help Tim in terms of academic readiness for school, and teach him good habits. She hoped that by giving him the opportunity to make new friends, this would help improve “his social interactions with other kids” as well as increase his interactions with adults. Linda was satisfied with Head Start because it “was encouraging him (Tim) to be himself.” She was very satisfied that Head Start maintained a safe program, provided services to Tim and her family and respected their family culture. She felt they were open to ideas, fostered community involvement, and helped Tim to grow and develop. She commented that Tim was always happy in the program, felt safe and secure, and often received individual attention, affection, respect, and acceptance from the teacher. She was always accepted and welcomed by the teacher and felt supported as a parent by the Head Start staff. In December of 1998, she was very satisfied with what Head Start had done to help Tim make the transition to kindergarten indicating he was very ready socially, academically and physically for kindergarten. While very satisfied with Head Start, Linda felt it would be improved by “longer hours” and if it “allowed younger kids to attend.”

In the spring of 1998, Linda indicated that it was “very important” for her to participate in Head Start activities “because I end up learning things about Tim that I don’t learn at home. At school they have equipment and activities that I don’t have a chance to do with him here at home.” The primary barrier to Linda participating more in Head Start activities was “not having enough time” because she goes to school all day and cannot always get to activities. Monthly telephone conversations from November 1997 to June 1998 reveal that she did her very best to attend as many activities as possible. The family participated in all five Head Start events to which they were invited. The entire family was able to attend parent-teacher conferences, a family night, and a Halloween party in November 1997 and they were very satisfied with the activities. In June the family attended parent-teacher conferences and the last day of school celebration. In the spring of 1998 Linda reported that during the past year she had observed Tim’s classroom for more than 30 minutes, prepared food or materials for a Head Start event, attended workshops, attended a Head Start event with a spouse or other adult, and participated in a home visit by Head Start staff once or twice. She attended parent-teacher conferences and Head Start social events three or more times during the past year. Linda had not yet volunteered in the classroom, helped with Head Start field trips, called another Head Start parent, or participated in Policy Council, fundraising, or preparing fliers or newsletters by the spring of 1998. Linda described two events she attended at Head Start. “One night we made a birdfeeder at Head Start with Tim and took it home to hang on a tree. On a different night at Head Start, we made snowflakes and also played musical chairs.”

The Family’s Home and Neighborhood

At the time of the fall 1997 home visit the family lived in a two bedroom single-family apartment in a rural neighborhood. The FACES home visit interviewer described the family’s home and neighborhood home as “a quiet secluded residential street off the beaten track in a rural town. Homes are fairly new but look to be hastily constructed - one step up from modular homes. The street has just a few houses on it and it dead-ends into a plowed area with dirt roads that map out a new area where it looks like new buildings will soon start. The neighborhood has a lot of space but has no trees, sidewalks, and is not all that aesthetically pleasing.” The neighborhood was described as “an o.k. place to raise children - lots of space to play and ride bikes.” The interviewer reported that Linda wished there were more kids for her sons to play with. In terms of community resources available to the family, the interviewer did not observe any community or neighborhood resources, such as parks, schools, churches, or businesses within one half mile of the home. The neighborhood was described as “very safe” by the interviewer.

In the spring of 1998 Linda described her neighborhood as an “ok” place to raise a child. “The kids can ride bikes anywhere and it is a safe place.” Linda reported in the fall and spring interviews that neither she nor anyone in her family had heard, witnessed or been a victim of a violent crime in their neighborhood. She described her neighborhood as “quiet, secluded and very residential.” When asked about changes she would make to her neighborhood she indicated she wished there were “more kids in the neighborhood” and “that the road was paved.” Although it was a rural neighborhood, Linda reported several community resources within a half-mile of her home, including a park, recreation center, day care center, supermarket, bank, convenience store, pharmacy, a doctor’s office, church, elementary school, and a library. She also indicated that her neighborhood did not have any abandoned buildings, graffiti, vandalism, adolescents or adult loitering, and that they had a neighborhood watch program.