ACF OPRE: Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSRE)

C. OVERVIEW OF CHILD AND FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS

At the time of enrollment, the program group families were a diverse group (Table 1):

Early Head Start applicants (99 percent of whom were mothers) were on average 23 years old. About 62 percent were first-time parents.
One-fourth of the primary caregivers lived with a spouse. Slightly more than one-third lived with other adults, and a similar proportion lived alone with their children.
Teenage parents headed slightly more than one-third of families enrolled in Early Head Start.
Overall, one-third of families were African American, one-fourth were Hispanic, and slightly more than one-third were white (with a small percentage in other groups). Eleven programs were largely homogeneous, with at least two-thirds of the families representing a single racial/ethnic group (four programs enrolled predominantly African American families, three were predominantly Hispanic, and five were predominantly white); in six, the racial/ethnic composition was diverse.
Overall, one-fifth of the Early Head Start primary caregivers did not speak English as their primary language.
Nearly half the Early Head Start primary caregivers did not have their high school diploma at the time they enrolled.
At enrollment, 45 percent of primary caregivers were employed or in school or training.
Most families were receiving public assistance of some kind (77 percent were covered by Medicaid, 88 percent were receiving WIC benefits, almost half were receiving food stamps, just over one-third were receiving AFDC or TANF, and 7 percent were receiving SSI benefits).
About one-fourth of primary caregivers enrolled while they were pregnant. The Early Head Start children who were born by the time of enrollment varied in age, with almost half under 5 months.
The greatest self-reported needs of parents were for adequate child care (34 percent of families overall, ranging from 11 to 68 percent across the programs); transportation (21 percent, ranging from 12 to 35); and medical care (14 percent overall, ranging from 3 to 36 percent).
Several local research teams worked with their program partners to collect information that would provide a richer understanding of the characteristics of the families. Eight teams obtained comparable maternal mental health data using the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression) scale, which provides information on the mothers’ risk for depression. Across these eight programs, on average, 48 percent of parents scored in the at-risk range.

TABLE 1
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AT ENTRY INTO THE EARLY HEAD START RESEARCH PROGRAMS
	All Research Programs Combined (Percentage)	Range Across Research Programs (Percentage)

Primary Caregiver (Applicant) Is Female	99	97 to 100

Primary Caregiver Is a Teenager (Under 20)	39	19 to 90

Primary Caregiver Is Married and Lives with Spouse	25	2 to 66

Primary Caregiver's Race/Ethnicity
African American	34	0 to 91
Hispanic	24	0 to 90
White	37	2 to 91
Other	5	0 to 14

Primary Caregiver's Main Language Is Not English	20	0 to 81

Primary Caregiver Does Not Speak English Well	11	0 to 55

Primary Caregiver Lacks a High School Diploma	48	24 to 88

Primary Caregiver's Main Activity
Employed	23	11 to 44
In school or training	22	4 to 64
Other	55	24 to 78

Primary Caregiver Receives Welfare Cash
Assistance (AFDC/TANF)	36	12 to 66

Child's Age
Unborn	25	7 to 67
0 to 4 months	42	12 to 57
5 to 12 months	33	1 to 75

Number of Applicants/Programs	1,513	17

SOURCE: Head Start Family Information System applicationand enrollment data.

Table of Contents | Previous | Next