Mental Health in Head Start: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century

This article has two aims: to explore the historical reasons why mental health has been a contested issue in Head Start, and to describe areas of challenge and innovation which might further the program's goal of improving the well-being of parents and children in poverty. The historical sources of silence in the program concerning mental health issues are noted, and recent efforts to bring mental health closer to the center of the Head Start agenda described. Four areas of challenge which are crucial in improving mental health in Head Start, are then reviewed: definitional issues at the individual and family levels, program-level consultation and services, system-level coordination, and macro-level policy changes. In each section, the nature of the challenge, current innovative practices in response to the challenge, and recommendations for further action are discussed. A concluding section presents a summary of recommendations for both program practice and research.     

Early Identification and Intervention: Head Start's Response to Mental Health Challenges

Serving low-income children from birth to age five and their families, Head Start is a primary venue for identification and intervention in the area of child mental health. However, recent research has demonstrated that the knowledge base regarding prevalence, developmental course, and predictive power of child mental health problems is lacking for young children in general and low-income, diverse populations in particular. Head Start's agency-level data is often discrepant from both national estimates and small, intensive studies of similar populations, perhaps for reasons related to availability of community services and professional staff, as well as concerns about stigmatization. Following on recent expert recommendations, new collaborative Federal initiatives are underway to increase our understanding of the types, trajectories, and treatments of mental health problems affecting the vulnerable children served by Head Start. The paper concludes with a call to action for the field in the area of young children's mental health.     

An Intervention to Increase Early Childhood Staff Capacity for Promoting Children’s Social-Emotional Development in Preschool Settings

This article describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a pilot intervention designed to enhance preschool programs’ ability to support children’s social-emotional development. Working with two Head Start programs, the intervention included (1) restructuring existing early childhood mental health consultation services; (2) engaging programs in a mental health-specific strategic planning; (3) providing training to program staff in early childhood mental health best practices; and (4) implementing staff wellness activities to promote a healthy organizational culture. Research Findings: Results from quantitative staff surveys found significant improvement over time in terms of reduced staff stress, increased levels of understanding of best practices in early childhood mental health, and more evidence of a shared understanding of how best to meet children’s mental health needs. Results were strongest for management and teaching staff, compared to other staff types. Practice Implications: Head Start and preschool programs may benefit from institutionalizing strategies to ensure that continued attention is paid to their program’s mental health services through ongoing strategic planning, supporting staff wellness, and by effective use of mental health consultants. Mental health consultants may be most valuable when they focus on capacity-building activities such as staff coaching and training, and working with management teams to ensure a collective “mental health perspective”.     

Parent Involvement,Parental Depression,and Program Satisfaction Among Low-Income Parents Participating in a Two-Generation Early Childhood Education Program

Research Findings: This study simultaneously examined parental depression and parent involvement as predictors of satisfaction with an early childhood intervention program. Parents (N = 203) of Head Start children participated in this short-term longitudinal study. Measures of parent involvement and satisfaction assessed multiple dimensions of these constructs. Nearly 40% of low-income mothers reported being sometimes or chronically depressed over the course of 1 year of the Head Start program. Compared with mothers who were never depressed, those who were sometimes depressed reported less involvement in home- and school-based activities as well as fewer interactions with their child's teacher. Never depressed parents were more likely to be satisfied with their child's teacher compared with either group of depressed mothers. Higher levels of parent involvement and parent–teacher interaction predicted optimal satisfaction with Head Start services. Practice or Policy: Implications of results for practice are considered in terms of teacher training to recognize unique needs involved in working to establish a home–school connection with mothers experiencing depression. Strategies for building community partnerships to assist with mental health needs are discussed.     

Head start teaching center: Evaluation of a new approach to head start staff development

Head Start Teaching Centers are a national demonstration project designed to provide participatory training in all Head Start component areas within the context of an exemplary Head Start program. Each Teaching Center employs an independent evaluation to study this alternative approach to Head Start staff development. This paper presents the results of the outcome evaluation for the first year of the New England Head Start Teaching Center. The New England Head Start Teaching Center was designed to provide intensive training during a 3 or 5 day period of residence at the Teaching Center. This paper briefly describes the national Head Start Teaching Center model, the implementation of this model in the New England region, the outcome evaluation plan, and the results from the first year of training. The analyses of year one data indicated that training provided by the New England Head Start Teaching Center produced significant gains. As compared to similar Head Start employees who did not participate in training, both trainees and their supervisors reported significant gains in trainees' knowledge, skills, and expertise after participating in the New England Head Start Teaching Center training.     

美国“提前开端计划”的特征、经验及对我国学前教育的启示

“提前开端计划”是美国联邦政府投入最大、历史最悠久的早期儿童教育项目。该项目的基本特征包括：针对“处境不利儿童”,提供基于“全儿童”理念的综合服务;针对儿童和家长的两代人干预,植根社区且赋权穷人。从创办之初,提前开端计划一直在挑战中发展：回应政府提高儿童认知成就的期待、平衡“赋权社区”与“儿童发展”的张力、加强对项目质量的监管和问责、完善与公办学校系统的衔接。“提前开端计划”的经验为中国学前教育的发展提供了以下的启示：为弱势儿童提供综合性质的早期教育项目、将促进家长投入纳入学前教育的范畴、理性看待学前教育的功效、加强对早期儿童教育项目的实证研究。     

Commentary on project head start

Conclusion Head Start is in a position to evaluate its successes and failures of the last 20 years, to assess the needs of low-income children and their families in the eighties and nineties, and to plan ahead for another 20 years of successful operation. We must take this challenge seriously, because if we don't our program will not meet the needs of our society, and therefore it will die. That would be tragic.Francis Wardle is Director of the Adams County Head Start and President of the Colorado/Wyoming Head Start Directors Association.     

Changes in the Social Skills and Behavior Problems of Homeless and Housed Children During the Preschool Year

This study examined the social competence and mental health of homeless and permanently housed preschool children enrolled in the Head Start program. Mothers and Head Start teachers rated the social skills and behavior problems of 38 homeless and 46 housed preschoolers twice during the school year. The researchers compared the behavior of the homeless and housed preschoolers soon after they entered Head Start, as well as changes in children's behavior six months after their initial assessment. Both parents and teachers reported that homeless children exhibited more behavioral problems than housed children at the beginning of the study, but perceived no significant differences in the two groups' social skills. Mothers reported significant declines in homeless children's compliance relative to their housed peers at the conclusion of the study, while teachers noted significant declines in homeless children's compliance and expressive skills. Both mothers and teachers reported that homeless children exhibited significantly greater increases in behavior problems than their housed peers over the study period. Findings indicate the need for Head Start and other early childhood programs to develop interventions designed to moderate the negative effect of homelessness on young children's social-emotional development.     

Changes in the Social Skills and Behavior Problems of Homeless and Housed Children During the Preschool Year

This study examined the social competence and mental health of homeless and permanently housed preschool children enrolled in the Head Start program. Mothers and Head Start teachers rated the social skills and behavior problems of 38 homeless and 46 housed preschoolers twice during the school year. The researchers compared the behavior of the homeless and housed preschoolers soon after they entered Head Start, as well as changes in children's behavior six months after their initial assessment. Both parents and teachers reported that homeless children exhibited more behavioral problems than housed children at the beginning of the study, but perceived no significant differences in the two groups' social skills. Mothers reported significant declines in homeless children's compliance relative to their housed peers at the conclusion of the study, while teachers noted significant declines in homeless children's compliance and expressive skills. Both mothers and teachers reported that homeless children exhibited significantly greater increases in behavior problems than their housed peers over the study period. Findings indicate the need for Head Start and other early childhood programs to develop interventions designed to moderate the negative effect of homelessness on young children's social-emotional development.     

Home-Based Head Start and Family Involvement: An Exploratory Study of the Associations Among Home Visiting Frequency and Family Involvement Dimensions

Since 1965, Head Start has stood as a model, two-generational program for promoting developmental competencies among children living in socioeconomic disadvantage for the US and international communities. The cornerstone of Head Start is the promotion of caregivers’ involvement in their young children’s development and early learning. In accomplishing this ambitious goal, Head Start operates from a variety of programming options, one of which is home-based. The home-based Head Start program can occur alone or be combined with a classroom-based program. Relative to its classroom-based counterpart, the home-based program has received little empirical attention. To this end, this study explores the association of home visiting frequency to caregiver involvement as it occurs naturally in a combined Head Start program serving families in small urban communities. The interrelationships of child and family demographics to caregiver involvement as well as participation in the home-based program were also examined. Consistent with prior studies, two-parent families reported greater involvement in the children’s preschool education than other family structures. Additionally, home visiting frequency was higher for Hispanic families relative to African American and Caucasian families. Notably, home visiting frequency did not correspond with families’ report of their involvement with their child at home or preschool or their communication with classroom teachers. Although the exploratory nature of this study does not yield conclusions, it does call attention to the need to empirically investigate the development and integration of evidence-based caregiver involvement interventions in the home-based Head Start program.     

Multigenerational Head Start Participation: An Unexpected Marker of Progress

One‐quarter of the Head Start population has a mother who participated in the program as a child. This study uses experimental Head Start Impact Study (HSIS) data on 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds (N = 2,849) to describe multigenerational Head Start families and their program experiences. In sharp contrast to full‐sample HSIS findings, Head Start has large, positive impacts on cognitive and socioemotional development through third grade among the children of former participant mothers, including improved mathematics skills and reductions in withdrawn and aggressive behavior. Evidence suggests that differences in program impacts between single‐ and multigenerational Head Start families are driven largely by differences in family resources and home learning environments.     

美国《开端计划执行标准》评介

美国开端计划是由美国联邦政府制订并推行的一项主要针对处境不利学前儿童及其家庭的国家行动计划,作为扩大教育机会、保障教育公平的重要手段,为保证并促进其实施与质量,联邦政府自计划实施之初就为它制订了一套执行标准,并不断根据现实发展的需要对其进行修订.开端计划执行标准对开端计划涵盖的七种服务都作了详细具体的规定,其文本由标准概要、服务规划、社会服务标准、儿童健康和发展服务标准、个人教育项目服务标准、营养服务标准、家长参与服务标准、合作服务项目标准八大部分组成,并提供了多种运作方式供地方获权机构与授权办事处根据自身情况灵活选择与运用.此外,执行标准还强调组成包括政策理事会、政策委员会和家长委员会在内的开端计划治理机构,以加强对开端计划执行过程的监督与对其实施效果的监测和反馈,从而保证为处境不利儿童及其家庭提供高质量的多方面服务.     

Externalizing Problems in Head Start Children: An Ecological Exploration

The increased familial and environmental stressors affecting Head Start families over the last two decades have precipitated an escalation of mental health difficulties among participant children (Yoshikawa & Knitzer, 1997). Using an ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). this study explored externalizing behavior problems among a group of Head Start children in a suburban county. Children were assessed for externalizing behavior problems in the home and classroom. Additionally, parents participated in interviews about a variety of ecological factors related to children's behavior problems. Almost one-quarter of the children were identified by their parents as having externalizing behavioral problems in the borderline or clinical range. Twice as many girls as boys had borderline or clinical levels of behavioral problems. Child externalizing behavior was positively associated with child internalizing behavior, parent psychological symptomatology, child temperament, family environment, and exposure to community violence. Children with parent-identified externalizing behavior did have specific social problem-solving skills deficits. Additionally, they were observed to have high levels of specific inappropriate behavior, but did not exhibit high levels of teacher-rated behavior problems. The implications of these findings for Head Start program planning are discussed.     

Externalizing Problems in Head Start Children: An Ecological Exploration

The increased familial and environmental stressors affecting Head Start families over the last two decades have precipitated an escalation of mental health difficulties among participant children (Yoshikawa & Knitzer, 1997). Using an ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). this study explored externalizing behavior problems among a group of Head Start children in a suburban county. Children were assessed for externalizing behavior problems in the home and classroom. Additionally, parents participated in interviews about a variety of ecological factors related to children's behavior problems. Almost one-quarter of the children were identified by their parents as having externalizing behavioral problems in the borderline or clinical range. Twice as many girls as boys had borderline or clinical levels of behavioral problems. Child externalizing behavior was positively associated with child internalizing behavior, parent psychological symptomatology, child temperament, family environment, and exposure to community violence. Children with parent-identified externalizing behavior did have specific social problem-solving skills deficits. Additionally, they were observed to have high levels of specific inappropriate behavior, but did not exhibit high levels of teacher-rated behavior problems. The implications of these findings for Head Start program planning are discussed.     

A Two-Generation Education Intervention and Children’s Attendance in Head Start

Two-generation human capital programs seek to promote the education of parents and children simultaneously. This study examines relations between family participation in CareerAdvance, which recruits parents of Head Start children into a workforce training program, and children’s Head Start attendance. The sample included 293 children (on average 4 years old) and their parents. After one semester, CareerAdvance children demonstrated higher rates of attendance and lower rates of absence and chronic absence (missing 10% or more of school days) than matched comparison children. These associations were similar across a range of high- and low-risk subgroups at baseline. These findings are discussed in terms of the implications of a family systems approach for improving children’s Head Start attendance.     

Supporting optimal child development through Early Head Start and Head Start programs: Reflections on secondary data analyses of FACES and EHSREP

We are delighted to reflect on the 10 papers highlighted in this important special issue of Early Childhood Research Quarterly devoted to recent secondary data analyses of the FACES and EHSREP datasets. First, we provide some background on Head Start research and give an overview of the large-scale Head Start and Early Head Start datasets that are available for researchers to analyze. Then, we comment on the papers in this special issue from a methodological and statistical standpoint. Finally, we reflect on themes that stood out across the various papers. Throughout, we make recommendations for future large-scale data collection efforts and future research on Head Start and Early Head Start programs.     

Exploring Teachers’ Depressive Symptoms,Interaction Quality,and Children’s Social-Emotional Development in Head Start

Research Findings: This study explored the role Head Start teachers’ (n = 355) depressive symptoms play in their interactions with children and in children’s (n = 2,203) social-emotional development, specifically changes in children’s problem behaviors and social skills as reported by parents and teachers during the preschool year. Results of the multilevel path analyses revealed that children in classrooms with more depressed teachers made significantly fewer gains in social-emotional skills as reported by both teachers and parents. We found no evidence of mediation by the quality of teacher–child interactions. Practice or Policy: These findings have implications for understanding and supporting Head Start teachers’ mental health and potentially improving children’s social-emotional outcomes.     

A tale of two studies: The Westinghouse-Ohio evaluation of project head start and the consortium for longitudinal studies report

In February 1981 as President Reagan and his Cabinet considered which programs to sustain and which to cut, Secretary Bell of the U.S. Department of Education Spoke out on behalf of Project Head Start. The program, he is reported to have said, is effective in preventing later school failure and is deserving of continuing support.The incident seems remarkable. Ten years earlier, the failure of Project Head Start was cited by another President at much the same juncture of his administration as part of the reason for dismantling the Office of Economic Opportunity. In a decade or less, it is not remarkable for a social service program to fall from favor to the abyss. Project Head Start may be, however, the only example if not of a resurrection, then at least of a salvation. For this reason, it may be instructive to examine what happened to Head Start, particularly the influence of two studies as distinctive as the fortunes of the program itself: the Westinghouse-Ohio and the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies evaluations.