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Reaching Out to Families:
Head Start Recruitment and Enrollment Practices

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Title Page
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary
1.0 Project Overview
	1.1 Rationale for the Study
	1.2 Description of the Project 1.2.1 Exploration of existing databases 1.2.2 Fall, 1999 data collection 1.2.3 Spring, 2000 data collection
	1.3 Feasibility Assessment
2.0 Existing Findings Related to Served and Unserved Families
	2.1 Overview 2.1.1 Background
	2.2 Head Start PIR
	2.3 Head Start FACES Program Drop Reports and Parent Exit Interviews 2.3.1 Reasons for leaving Head Start 2.3.2 Satisfaction with Head Start
	2.4 Head Start FACES Staff: Social Service Coordinators and Center Directors 2.4.1 Social Service Coordinators 2.4.2 Center Directors
	2.5 Family/Household Databases Overview 2.5.1 Findings from Data Sets
	NLSY79 SIPP PSID
	2.5 Summary of Family/Household Data Bases
	2.6 Conclusions Regarding Findings from the Secondary Analyses
3.0 Fall 1999 and Spring 2000 Site Visits
	3.1 Overview
	3.2 Program Descriptions 3.2.1 Site Descriptions 3.2.2 Program Needs 3.2.3 Head Start Eligibility Criteria
	3.3 Focus Group Overview 3.3.1 Focus Group Methodology
	Instrument Development Subject Recruitment and Description Staffing Procedures
	3.3.2 Analytic Strategies
	3.4 Focus Group Findings 3.4.1 Family Typology
	A Typical Family Successfully Recruited to Head Start A Typical Family Recruited to Head Start Who Did Not Enroll, or Enrolled but Dropped Out Why Head Start Eligible Families Decided Not to Send Their Children to Head Start
	3.4.2 Other Preschool or Child Care Options Available for Families
	Staff Awareness of Other Child Care Options for Families Parent Awareness of Other Child Care Options for Families
	3.4.3 Recruitment
	Recruitment Strategies Targeted Recruitment Areas Recruitment Staff How Recruitment and Screening Efforts Can be More Successful
	3.4.4 Enrollment
	3.4.5 Waiting Lists
	3.4.6 Retention
	3.4.7 Head Start Training and Technical Assistance
	3.4.8 Perceptions of Head Start
	How Head Start is Perceived by Families and the Community What Head Start Can Do for Families
	3.5 Focus Group Summary
	3.6 Record Reviews
	3.7 Waiting List Reviews
	3.8 Community Agency Interviews 3.8.1 Community Agency Interview Methodology 3.8.2 Type of Collaboration 3.8.3 Procedures for Referral 3.8.4 Community Perception of Head Start 3.8.5 Strategies for Outreach
	3.9 Parent Interview Overview 3.9.1 Interviewing Methodology
	Staffing Sample Selection Procedures Referrals as a Means of Identifying Families Community Service Providers as Means of Identifying Families Instrument Development
	3.9.2 Interview Findings
	Description of Respondents Child Care Personal, Family, and Environmental Risk Factors Neighborhood Violence Family or Domestic Violence Substance Use
	3.9.3 Parent Interview Summary
	3.10 Conclusions Regarding Findings from the Primary Data Collection
	Recruitment Enrollment Waiting Lists Retention Description of Eligible but Non-Enrolled Families
4.0 Conclusions and Lessons Learned
	4.1 Overview
	4.2 Discussion of Findings
	Head Start Recruitment Activities Head Start Enrollment Activities Head Start Retention Activities Perceptions of Head Start Identifying Characteristics of Eligible, but Unserved Families
	4.3 Lessons Learned
	Actual Program Practices Do Not Always Fit with Prescribed Program Procedures For Many Families, “Need” is Not Solely Defined by Economics Wide Variations Exist Across Programs in the Management and Use of Waiting Lists National Databases Have Restricted Usefulness for Providing Information on Families Who Are Eligible for Head Start It is Feasible to Identify and Engage Unserved Families
	4.4 Head Start’s Future Information Needs
	Internal Steps Towards Improved Head Start Information Feasibility of a Study to Develop an Understanding of Head Start-Eligible, Non-Enrolled Families
5.0 References
6.0 Appendices
	A. Descriptions of the FACES, NLSY79, SIPP, and PSID databases
	B. Head Start Criteria for Program Eligibility Head Start 1996 Family Income Guidelines Memorandum
	C. Summary Table of Family/Household Databases
	D. Moderator Guides
	Administrative Staff Field Staff Parent
	E. Data Display
	F. Record Review Data Collection Form
	G. Parent Interview
	Eligibility Screener Questionnaire
List of Exhibits
List of Abbreviations

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Reaching Out to Families: Head Start Recruitment and Enrollment Practices

Reaching Out to Families:
Head Start Recruitment and Enrollment Practices