Understanding barriers to parent involvement in Head Start: a research-community partnership

The present study was conducted by a research institute, The NCJW Center for the Child, in partnership with two Head Start agencies in New York City. The research grew out of practitioners’ concerns about parent involvement in their programs and what barriers may be inhibiting participation. Sixty-eight mothers whose children had completed one year of Head Start were interviewed using the Barriers to Parent Involvement Survey. Results revealed that mothers reported the presence of many difficult life experiences, but few were reported as actual barriers by many mothers. Five out of 20 of these experiences were associated with staff ratings of mothers’ level of participation. Developing ways to address barriers to participation at the Head Start agencies is discussed in light of the research findings. Information about wider application of the survey as well as research and programmatic implications of the results are included.