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Building Their Futures:
How Early Head Start Programs Are Enhancing the Lives of
Infants and Toddlers in Low-Income Families

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TITLE PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT FOR THE EVALUATION
   
   
   
   1. EARLY HEAD START, ITS HISTORY, AND ITS DEVELOPMENT AS A NATIONAL PROGRAM
      
      1. The Role of Legislation and Advisory Committees
         
      2. The National Early Head Start Program
         
      3. The Program's Policy Context
         
      4. The Research Context for the Early Head Start Program and Its Evaluation
      
      
   2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS ADDRESSED IN THE EARLY HEAD START IMPACT STUDY
      
      1. Central Questions of the Study
         
      2. Conceptual Framework
         
      3. Overarching Hypotheses
      
      
   3. THE EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES
      
      1. The 17 Early Head Start Research Programs
         
      2. The Families That Early Head Start Research Programs Served
         
      3. The Communities Served by Early Head Start Research Programs
         
      4. How Early Head Start Research Programs Compare with All Funded Programs from Which They Were Selected
      
      
   4. OVERVIEW OF THE EVALUATION
      
      1. Description of the Evaluation
         
      2. The Early Head Start Research Consortium
         
      3. Overview of the Implementation Study and Its Findings

2. EVALUATION DESIGN, DATA, AND ANALYTIC APPROACHES
   
   
   1. STUDY DESIGN
      
      1. Site Selection
         
      2. Sample Enrollment
         
      3. Random Assignment
      
      
   2. DATA SOURCES AND OUTCOME MEASURES
      
      1. Data Sources
         
      2. Response Rates
         
      3. Timing of Interviews
         
      4. Outcome Variables
         
      5. Analysis Samples
      
      
   3. ANALYTIC APPROACHES
      
      1. Global Analysis
         
      2. Targeted Analysis
         
      3. Criteria for Identifying Program Effects

3. EARLY HEAD START IMPACTS ON SERVICE RECEIPT
   
   
   1. OVERVIEW OF THE LEVELS AND INTENSITY OF EARLY HEAD START SERVICES DURING THE FIRST 16 MONTHS
      
      1. Early Head Start Participation
         
      2. Home Visits
         
      3. Case Management
         
      4. Group Parenting Activities
         
      5. Child Care and Center-Based Child Development Services
         
      6. Services for Children with Disabilities
         
      7. Health Services
         
      8. Other Family Development Services
         
      9. Families' Engagement in Early Head Start Services
         
      10. Fathers' Receipt of Early Head Start Services
      
      
   2. EARLY HEAD START IMPACTS ON SERVICE RECEIPT
      
      1. Global Differences in Receipt of Services
         
      2. Differences in Program Impacts on Receipt of Key Services Among Targeted Subgroups of Programs
      
      
   3. IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILD AND FAMILY OUTCOMES

4. EARLY HEAD START INFLUENCES ON CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT
   
   
   1. HYPOTHESES AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF INTERIM FINDINGS
      
      
   2. MEASURES OF INFANT-TODDLER DEVELOPMENT
      
      
   3. GLOBAL IMPACTS ON CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT
      
      1. Global Impacts on Cognitive and Language Development
         
      2. Global Impacts on Children's Social-Emotional Development
      
      
   4. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, BY PROGRAM APPROACH
      
      1. Cognitive and Language Development
         
      2. Social-Emotional Outcomes
         
      3. Summary
      
      
   5. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, BY PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION LEVEL
      
      1. Cognitive and Language Outcomes
         
      2. Social-Emotional Outcomes
      
      
   6. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, BY WELFARE-RELATED WORK REQUIREMENTS

5. EARLY HEAD START INFLUENCES ON PARENTING
   
   
   1. HYPOTHESES AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF INTERIM FINDINGS
      
      
   2. MEASURES OF PARENTING
      
      
   3. GLOBAL IMPACTS ON PARENTING
      
      1. Parenting Behavior and the Home Environment
         
      2. Parenting Knowledge
      
      
   4. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON PARENTING BY PROGRAM APPROACH
      
      1. Parenting Behavior and the Home Environment
         
      2. Parenting Knowledge
      
      
   5. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON PARENTING BY PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
      
      1. Parenting Behavior and the Home Environment
         
      2. Parenting Knowledge
      
      
   6. VARIATIONS IN PARENTING OUTCOMES BY WELFARE-RELATED WORK REQUIREMENTS
      
      
   7. FATHERS AND FATHER FIGURES IN THE LIVES OF EARLY HEAD START CHILDREN

6. EARLY HEAD START INFLUENCES ON ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY, MENTAL HEALTH, AND FAMILY FUNCTIONING
   
   
   1. HYPOTHESES AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF INTERIM FINDINGS
      
      1. Hypotheses About, and Synopsis of Findings On, the Influences of Early Head Start on Families' Economic Self-Sufficiency
         
      2. Hypotheses About, and Synopsis of Findings On, the Influences of Early Head Start on Physical and Mental Health and Family Functioning
      
      
   2. GLOBAL IMPACTS ON FAMILY WELL-BEING
      
      1. Measures of Self-Sufficiency, Mental Health, and Family Functioning
         
      2. Any Self-Sufficiency Activities
         
      3. Employment
         
      4. Educational Activities and Attainment
         
      5. Welfare Program Participation
         
      6. Family Income and Resources
         
      7. Parent Health, Mental Health, and Family Functioning
      
      
   3. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON FAMILY WELL-BEING BY PROGRAM APPROACH
      
      1. Impacts on Family Self-Sufficiency
         
      2. Impacts on Parents' Mental Health and Family Functioning
      
      
   4. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON FAMILY WELL-BEING BY PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
      
      1. Impacts on Family Self-Sufficiency
         
      2. Impacts on Parents' Mental Health and Family Functioning
      
      
   5. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS ON FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY BY WELFARE-RELATED WORK REQUIREMENTS

7. VARIATIONS IN PROGRAM IMPACTS AMONG FAMILIES
   
   
   1. VARIATIONS IN IMPACTS BY RACE/ETHNICITY
      
      1. Hispanic Families
         
      2. African American Families
         
      3. White, Non-Hispanic Families
      
      
   2. CHILD'S AGE AT ENROLLMENT
      
      1. Children Who Were Not Yet Born at Enrollment
         
      2. Children Who Were Born at Enrollment
      
      
   3. AGE OF MOTHER AT CHILD'S BIRTH
      
      1. Teenage Mothers
         
      2. Older Mothers
      
      
   4. CHILD'S BIRTH ORDER
      
      1. Families Who Enrolled with Their First Child
         
      2. Families Who Enrolled with Later-Born Children
      
      
   5. CHILD GENDER
      
      1. Families with Boys
         
      2. Families with Girls
      
      
   6. WELFARE STATUS AT ENROLLMENT
      
      1. Families Receiving TANF Cash Assistance When They Enrolled
         
      2. Families Not Receiving TANF Cash Assistance When They Enrolled
      
      
   7. PRIMARY OCCUPATION
      
      1. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Was Initially Employed
         
      2. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Was Initially in School or Training
         
      3. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Was Initially Neither Working Nor in School or Training
      
      
   8. HIGHEST GRADE COMPLETED
      
      1. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Initially Had Not Completed 12th Grade or a GED
         
      2. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Had Initially Completed 12th grade or a GED
         
      3. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Had Initially Completed More than 12th Grade
      
      
   9. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
      
      1. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Initially Lived with a Spouse
         
      2. Families in Which the Primary Caregiver Initially Lived With Other Adults
         
      3. Primary Caregivers Who Initially Lived Alone with Their Children
      
      
   10. NUMBER OF RISK FACTORS
       
       1. Low-Risk Families
          
       2. Moderate-Risk Families
          
       3. High-Risk Families
       
       
   11. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

8. THE MEANING OF THE EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS' EARLY IMPACTS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
   
   
   1. KEY FINDINGS FROM THE INTERIM ANALYSIS OF EARLY HEAD START IMPACTS
      
      
   2. CENTRAL MESSAGES EMERGING FROM THE FINDINGS
      
      
   3. IMPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAMS, POLICY, AND RESEARCH
      
      
   4. NEXT STEPS
      
      REFERENCES
      

VOLUME II TECHNICAL REPORT APPENDIXES (Bound Separately)



1. CONTRIBUTIONS OF EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS AND LOCAL RESEARCH TEAMS TO THE INTERIM REPORT FINDINGS
   
2. DATA COLLECTION, SOURCES OF NONRESPONSE,
   AND FATHER STUDY RESPONSE RATES
   
3. OUTCOME MEASURES, PSYCHOMETRICS, AND IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES
   
4. ANALYTIC ISSUES AND DETAILS
   
5. SUPPLEMENTAL TABLES BY CHAPTER
   
6. EXPANDED ACKNOWLEDGMENT

 

 

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