The benefits of participating in Head Start are well documented, but enrollment difficulties negatively impact student groups that benefit the most from strong early education opportunities, according to a recent study from the Children’s Equity Project (CEP) at Arizona State University.
The report reviews research from other countries that have excluded students from education, including early education like Head Start, due to immigration status and the impacts such a policy has on all children — particularly children experiencing homelessness, students with disabilities and those from low-income families or in foster care.
In September, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking a directive from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to restrict participation in Head Start based on the immigration status of families.
Should HHS appeal the decision and ultimately be allowed to move forward with the policy change, CEP researchers note that many families with legal status will be negatively impacted as well.
“Families with barriers to accessing documents, including those experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and families that work long hours and cannot visit administrative offices during business hours, will be disproportionately impacted by requiring immigration documentation and imposing greater administrative burdens for enrollment,” the report states. “Yet, these families are already categorically eligible for Head Start and are the very children most in need of early education support. Indeed, the families that would most benefit from Head Start would face the most difficulty in accessing the program.”
Past research on the effects of administrative requirements on families shows restrictive eligibility criteria negatively impact uptake in services. For example, families working long hours in low wage positions face logistical burdens in providing pay stubs, tax forms or other documentation. Meanwhile, national studies show caregivers of children with disabilities already spend between five and 30 hours per week on coordinating care and paperwork. Adding further verification steps would only exacerbate existing strain on families, increasing the likelihood that children with disabilities will experience enrollment gaps in Head Start.
For families experiencing homelessness and children in foster care, “documents may be spread across shelters, relatives, or agencies,” according to researchers. “The result may be delayed enrollment, significant stress, and exclusion due to administrative hurdles. Adding new verification requirements in Head Start does not create accountability; it multiplies the administrative labor borne by families with the fewest resources.”
Early childhood education benefits
For children able to be enrolled in Head Start, benefits can be seen in the short- and long-term and have even been reported across generations. Children who attend Head Start have been shown to make significant progress in their language, literacy, math and social-emotional development after attending the program for one year.
And while research is mixed on the long-term impacts — some have found positive gains level out in primary grades while others show higher math scores through middle school — CEP notes that studies have found that benefits of Head Start may be multi-generational.
“Those who participated in Head Start as children become parents that are more engaged with their own children, reading books to them, using less physical discipline, and investing more time with their children,” the report states. “They are also more likely to teach their children early learning skills, such as numbers, letters, colors, and shapes.”
Additional benefits among children who participate in Head Start include:
- Higher vocabulary skills, especially among dual language learners and those who start with the lowest baseline scores
- Advanced oral language skills, early literacy skills like letter-sound knowledge and print awareness, and positive learning gains in math
- Development of “school readiness skills” such as how to engage appropriately with peers and in school-related activities like teacher-directed learning and small group instruction
- Reduction in behaviors like hyperactivity, attention problems, withdrawal and aggression
