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4.0 Head Start Services and Activities
4.1 Introduction
The Head Start Program Performance Standards mandate a comprehensive set of services for enrolled children and families across the areas of Early Childhood Development and Health Services, Family and Community Partnerships, and Program Design and Management. Head Start staff interviewed for FACES provided in-depth information about the types and amounts of services provided through each program component. In addition, the interviews provided information about the main benefits of those services, barriers to receiving full benefits of services, staff goals for families and children, and perceived success in meeting those goals. This chapter consists of six sections:
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Section 4.2 contains a description of the educational curricula employed in classrooms, information about the development and implementation of the educational program, and the types and frequencies of activities that occurred in Head Start classrooms.
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Section 4.4 provides information about the variety of staff contacts with parents and families through orientation meetings, parent meetings and workshops, parent volunteers in the classroom and other aspects of the program, and male involvement efforts. Finally, staff perceptions regarding barriers to full parent participation in Head Start are reported.
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Section 4.6 contains Social Service Coordinator and Family Service Worker descriptions of risk factors frequently observed in Head Start families and the activities and services provided by the program to address families’ needs and problems.
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Section 4.8 provides information about health needs and health services that are observed by Health Coordinators and other Head Start staff in the children and families served by the program.
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Section 4.10 contains center-level analyses of relationships among the information collected separately from Head Start staff and parents. This section reports the associations among 1) staff and program characteristics reported by staff, 2) parent-reported family demographics, and 3) parent-reported measures of (a) program involvement, (b) satisfaction with the Head Start program and (c) fall 1997 to spring 1998 changes in family-child activities.
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Section 4.12 contains the results of discussions completed with Head Start Program Directors in spring 1998 regarding the impact on the program related to implementation of revised Head Start Program Performance Standards in January 1998, and the effects of changes in public assistance laws on the program and the families served.
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Finally, Section 4.13 presents a summary of staff responses when they were asked how the program could be improved.
4.2 The Head Start Education Component
The Head Start educational program was, at the time data collection began, organized under the direction of an Education Coordinator, and included classroom teachers, teacher aides, educational and behavioral assessment staff, trainers, consultants, and clerical staff. The Coordinators for the 40 programs in Head Start FACES reported a total of 2,170 staff (an average of over 54 staff per program; range 6 to 186) under their direction. The Education Coordinators were responsible for management of the in-service training program for classroom staff. Exhibit 4-1 contains ratings of the relative importance of in-service training topics. As shown, general child development (62.5%), classroom management strategies (47.5%), and curriculum materials and teaching strategy (37.5%) were considered to be the most important topics for the training of classroom staff. In the next priority rank, methods for involving parents in the classroom when they were present as volunteers or observers (35.0%), training classroom staff to accurately observe (27.5%) and assess (25.0%) children’s behavior and progress, and communications with parents (25.0%) were also considered important.
| In-Service Training Topics | Percentage of Education |
|---|---|
| General child development/early childhood education | 62.5 |
| Classroom management strategies | 47.5 |
| Curriculum materials/teaching strategies | 37.5 |
| Involving parents in the classroom | 35.0 |
| Observation of child behavior | 27.5 |
| Assessment of child progress | 25.0 |
| Communications with parents about child's progress or problems | 25.0 |
| Team teaching principles | 20.0 |
| Supervision of classroom workers (aides, parent volunteers) | 10.0 |
| Observation/reporting of child abuse/neglect | 2.5 |
Education Coordinators reported a variety of means that were employed by education staff in the development of an understanding of the instructional needs of Head Start children. These included teacher observations and review of medical records (reported by 100% of Education Coordinators), observations during home visits, parent-staff conferences (97.5% each), and, if needed, consultation with medical or psychological consultants (90% of Education Coordinators). Where deemed necessary, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) was prepared. Classroom Teachers reported that, on average, 13.8% (SD = 13.0, range = 0 to 100%) of the children in their classrooms had a disability for which they received services or had an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This percentage did not vary by region but teachers employed by programs in rural areas reported a higher proportion (17.4%, SD = 17.3) of children in their classrooms with IEPs than those in urban areas (12.4%, SD = 10.5), t = 3.31, p < .01. Education Coordinators were also asked to indicate the top three disabilities that they had observed in the past year (Exhibit 4-2). As shown, speech and language impairments were reported by all but one Education Coordinator to be a concern that frequently results in the development and implementation of IEPs. In addition, three quarters of the Education Coordinators reported that emotional and behavioral disorders were one of the top three problems resulting in preparation of IEPs.
| Disabilities of Children | Percentage of Education Coordinators Indicating Disability as One of Top Three Problems (n = 40) |
|---|---|
| Speech/language impairment | 97.5 |
| Emotional/behavioral disorder | 75.0 |
| Non-categorical developmental delay | 47.5 |
| Learning disabilities | 37.5 |
| Health impairments | 32.5 |
| Hearing impairments | 7.5 |
| Multiple disabilities | 2.5 |
Home visits by education staff were reported by Education Coordinators to be required in each of the 40 programs that participated in FACES. Thirty-three of the programs required a minimum of two visits per program year, while the remainder required three or more visits by teachers and/or classroom aides. As shown in Exhibit 4-3, two thirds of Education Coordinators (67.5%) reported that delivering educational services to the Head Start children was the most important goal for the home visits involving educational staff; parenting instruction was the next highest priority (30%).
| Goals for Home Visits | Percentage of Education Coordinators (n = 40) |
|---|---|
| Deliver educational services to Head Start children | 67.5 |
| Provide parenting instruction | 30.0 |
| Address health/nutritional needs of children | 2.5 |
| Provide educational services to other children in the household | 2.5 |
Head Start Educational Curricula
The Head Start Program Performance Standards mandate a comprehensive program of educational services emphasizing the importance of developmentally appropriate educational activities in the classroom. The program does not prescribe a single specific curriculum or set of activities for enrolled children. This approach allows the maximum flexibility for local Head Start staff to select preschool education approaches that they believe are most beneficial for the children and families that they serve. There was significant agreement among Education Coordinators (92.5%), Center Directors1 (94.3%), and Classroom Teachers (93.0%) that a specific curriculum or combinations of curricula were used in their program. As Exhibit 4-4 indicates, the most popular curriculum was High Scope, followed by The Creative Curriculum. In about 10-15% of programs, centers, and classrooms, staff indicated that a statewide Head Start curriculum was employed. In total, over 90 different educational programs for pre-school children were identified, many of which covered only one or two educational content areas and might, therefore, not be considered as “true” curricula (that is, comprehensive programs providing activities and materials covering a variety of educational content areas through a consistent educational approach) but rather as categorical education packages. Other than those mentioned above, no other specific curricula were identified by more than 3% of the staff in any of the positions interviewed.
| Unweighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Education Coordinators (n = 38) |
Center Directors (n = 89) |
Classroom Teachers (n = 529) |
|
| High Scope | 44.7 | 41.7 | 37.1 |
| The Creative Curriculum | 26.3 | 24.6 | 19.5 |
| A statewide Head Start curriculum | 13.2 | 11.2 | 13.9 |
| Othera | 10.5 | 16.8 | 22.5 |
| Noneb | 5.3 | 5.7 | 7.0 |
| a“Other” refers
to programs, centers, or classrooms where staff did identify a
curriculum or curricula other than High Scope, The Creative Curriculum,
or a statewide Head Start curriculum.(back) b”None” refers to programs, centers, or classrooms that staff indicated followed no specific curriculum.(back) |
Education Coordinators, Center Directors, and Classroom Teachers reported the components of the curricula they employed in their programs, centers and classrooms. These included having a formal written plan consisting of goals for children’s learning and development, specification of activities for children, suggestions for teaching strategies and teaching materials, and providing ways to involve parents in their children’s activities. As shown in Exhibit 4-5, Head Start staff consistently reported their current curricula generally included all elements of sound educational practice and met the requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. With one exception, over 85% of all staff agreed that all curriculum elements were present. Only about 75% of Education Coordinators and Classroom Teachers reported that their curricula provided specific activities for children.
| Unweighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Education Coordinators (n = 36) |
Center Directors (n = 84) |
Classroom Teachers (n = 492) |
|
| Curriculum was a formal, written plan | 83.3 | 88.1 | 87.4 |
| Contained goals for children's learning and development | 88.9 | 96.5 | 87.8 |
| Specified activities for children | 75.0 | 88.1 | 74.4 |
| Provided suggested teaching strategies | 94.4 | 94.1 | 94.1 |
| Included suggested teaching materials | 91.7 | 95.2 | 92.5 |
| Included ways to involve parents in their child's activities | 88.9 | 94.0 | 87.2 |
| aIncluding only staff who identified a curriculum for their program, center, or classrooms.(back) |
Education Coordinators, Center Directors, and Classroom Teachers each reported on who was responsible for developing the day-to-day instructional plans for children and for the preparation of teaching materials. These staff indicated that, for between 60-70% of programs, centers, and classrooms, the day-to-day instructional responsibilities were with the classroom teaching staff (Exhibit 4-6). For approximately 15-20% of programs and centers, the Center Directors were reported to be responsible for such plans (a slightly lower percentage of Center Director responsibility was reported by Classroom Teachers), and the remaining responsibilities were assigned to program administrators.
| Unweighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Education Coordinators (n = 38) |
Center Directors (n = 89) |
Classroom Teachers (n = 529) |
|
| Individual Teachers | 60.5 | 61.5 | 70.8 |
| Center Directors | 15.8 | 22.4 | 13.4 |
| Program Administrators | 18.4 | 14.0 | 14.8 |
Between 45 and 55% of respondents in each category reported that local Head Start staff were responsible for preparing teaching materials (Exhibit 4-7). In this case, all respondents agreed that the curriculum developer was responsible for the materials in 40-48% of classrooms. In keeping with the Head Start philosophy of decentralized educational programming, less than 10% of respondents indicated that they employed materials prepared by Head Start staff beyond the program level.
| Unweighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Education Coordinators (n = 38) |
Center Directors (n = 89) |
Classroom Teachers (n = 529) |
|
| Local Head Start staff | 44.7 | 51.1 | 54.5 |
| Curriculum developer | 47.4 | 42.0 | 41.7 |
| State, regional, or national Head Start Administrators | 7.9 | 2.8 | 3.8 |
Notably, in the case of both responsibility for instructional planning and preparation of educational materials, a slight association between the identity of the respondent and the response may be observed. For example, Classroom Teachers were more likely to report that they were responsible for instructional planning and preparation of materials than were Education Coordinators and Center Directors. In turn, Center Directors were more likely to report that they were responsible for day-to-day educational activities than Education Coordinators and Classroom Teachers, and Education Coordinators were slightly more likely to assume responsibility for both instructional activity and materials than profiled in reports from the other staff. Despite these minor differences, the staff involved in choosing and planning the educational program for children were in substantial agreement regarding their responsibilities.
Significant differences were observed in regional patterns related to responsibilities for preparing educational plans and materials (Exhibit 4-8). Classroom Teachers in the South, X2 = 37.8, p < .01, and in rural areas, X2 = 21.3, p < .01, were less likely to report that they were responsible for preparing day-today educational plans than teachers in other areas. As well, Classroom Teachers in both the South and West were less likely to respond that they were responsible for preparing teaching materials than teachers in the Northeast and Midwest, X2 = 17.5, p < .01.
| Unweighted Percentages | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East (n = 45) |
Midwest |
South (n = 202) |
West (n = 122) |
Puerto Rico (n = 18) |
Rural (n = 153) |
Urban (n = 376) |
|
| Individual teachers make most of the decisions about instructional plans for children |
72.7 | 83.3 | 55.3 | 79.2 | 94.4 | 58.7 | 76.2 |
| Teaching materials are created by local Head Start staff |
64.4 | 68.1 | 44.7 | 47.1 | 94.4 | 51.7 | 56.0 |
Activities in Head Start Classrooms
Head Start classroom staff provided a diverse set of activities for children each day. The Center Directors and Classroom Teachers participating in FACES were asked to indicate how frequently a variety of activities took place in their classrooms (from “not offered/never” to “daily or almost daily”). Their responses to these items are shown in Exhibit 4-9. Center Directors and Classroom Teacher responses were quite consistent across all the identified activities. Free play, reading stories, construction activities, naming colors, visual arts, puzzle solving, number concepts or counting, outdoor physical activities, performing arts, and health/hygiene were reported to be offered daily or almost daily in over 90% of the centers and classrooms. Classroom Teachers reported that their programs offered indoor physical activities, science or nature slightly less often. Center Directors and Classroom Teachers agreed that letters of the alphabet or words and computer time were far less frequently offered than other academic activities. Finally, cooking activities, trips to the library and other field trips were offered only occasionally.
| Classroom Activity | Unweighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Directors (n = 89) |
Classroom Teachers (n = 529) |
|||
| Not Offered/ Never |
Daily or Almost Daily |
Not Offered/ Never |
Daily or Almost Daily |
|
| Science or nature | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 83.2 |
| Free play | 0.0 | 98.9 | 0.0 | 95.8 |
| Reading stories | 0.0 | 98.9 | 0.0 | 96.0 |
| Block building, other construction activity | 0.0 | 98.9 | 0.0 | 97.1 |
| Naming colors | 0.0 | 96.6 | 0.8 | 88.7 |
| Visual arts (i.e., drawing, painting) | 0.0 | 96.5 | 0.0 | 95.6 |
| Solving puzzles, playing with geometric forms | 0.0 | 95.4 | 0.0 | 94.5 |
| Number concepts or counting | 0.0 | 94.3 | 0.8 | 92.2 |
| Outdoor physical activities | 0.0 | 94.2 | 0.2 | 92.8 |
| Performing arts, music, dance | 1.2 | 92.0 | 0.0 | 91.6 |
| Indoor physical activities | 0.0 | 90.7 | 0.2 | 89.9 |
| Health and hygiene | 0.0 | 90.0 | 0.3 | 93.0 |
| Letters of the alphabet or words | 16.3 | 65.1 | 9.5 | 68.8 |
| Computer time | 48.3 | 47.1 | 42.3 | 46.2 |
| Cooking | 2.3 | 24.1 | 4.3 | 18.3 |
| Field trips (other than the library) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.6 |
| Trips to the library | 14.1 | 0.0 | 24.0 | 0.6 |
Exhibits 4-10 and 4-11 provide a breakdown for teaching “letters of the alphabet or words” and offering computer time by region and urbanicity. Approximately 15% of Center Directors and 10% of teachers reported that letters of the alphabet or words were never taught in their classrooms. As shown, Classroom Teachers in the Midwest reported that “letters of the alphabet or words” were offered daily or almost daily more often in their classrooms than in other regions, X2 = 23.5, p < .01. Programs in Puerto Rico were also less likely to teach letters of the alphabet or words in their daily activities (Exhibit 4-10).
| Teaching "Letters of the Alphabet or Words" |
Unweighted Percentages | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East (n = 45) |
Mid West (n = 142) |
South (n = 202) |
West (n = 122) |
Puerto Rico (n = 18) |
Rural (n = 153) |
Urban (n = 376) |
|
| Classroom Teachers
reported "never" |
9.1 | 2.8 | 9.5 | 15.6 | 22.2 | 11.2 | 8.8 |
| Center Directors
reported "never" |
11.2 | 6.9 | 16.1 | 20.0 | 33.3 | 20.8 | 11.8 |
| Classroom Teachers
reported "daily" |
65.9 | 82.4 | 71.5 | 51.6 | 50.0 | 67.1 | 69.3 |
| Center Directors
reported "daily" |
66.7 | 82.8 | 64.5 | 52.0 | 33.3 | 66.7 | 64.5 |
Computer time, of course, was based to a large degree on whether or not computers were available in the classrooms. Classroom Teacher responses indicated that slightly less than one half of classrooms (47.6%) offered daily computer time while somewhat fewer (40.5%) never offered that activity (Exhibit 4-11). Although computer time was offered slightly more often in the South and the West by Classroom Teachers, the observed differences were not significant, nor were Center Directors’ reports for the frequency that computer time was offered in their centers. All of the staff in the FACES programs in Puerto Rico reported that computer time was not offered to their children.
| Computer Time For Children |
Unweighted Percentages | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North- east (n = 45) |
Mid- west (n = 142) |
South (n = 202) |
West (n = 122) |
Puerto Rico (n = 18) |
Rural (n = 153) |
Urban (n = 376) |
|
| Classroom Teachers
report "never" |
53.3 | 50.0 | 39.0 | 27.1 | 100.0 | 33.6 | 46.1 |
| Center Directors
report "never" |
33.3 | 43.3 | 41.7 | 40.0 | 100.0 | 39.1 | 43.6 |
| Classroom Teachers
report "daily" |
40.0 | 41.4 | 51.3 | 51.6 | 0.0 | 55.7 | 42.1 |
| Center Directors
report "daily" |
44.4 | 50.0 | 53.3 | 52.0 | 0.0 | 58.7 | 48.9 |
On average, Classroom Teachers reported that children in their classrooms were read to approximately 3.2 hours each week (SD = 2.3). As shown in Exhibit 4-12, the weekly amount of reading reported by Classroom Teachers was higher in the South, F(3, 508) = 3.53; p < .01. In addition, Classroom Teachers were asked to rate whether reading to children in the classroom was essential, very important, somewhat important, or not important. Across all regions, 58.3% of Classroom Teachers rated reading as essential. In contrast to results reported for the number of hours of reading that occurred in classrooms, teachers in the South were less likely to rate classroom reading as essential than their counterparts in other regions, the Northeast in particular, X2 = 14.9, p < .01.
| Means (Standard Deviations)/ Unweighted Percentages | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North- east (n = 45) |
Mid- west (n = 142) |
South (n = 202) |
West (n = 122) |
Puerto Rico (n = 18) |
Rural (n = 153) |
Urban (n = 376) |
|
| Weekly hours of reading to children |
3.2 (2.1) |
3.2 (2.7) |
3.7 (2.2) |
2.7 (1.8) |
3.6 (2.3) |
3.3 (2.5) |
3.2 (2.2) |
| Percentage rating reading as essential |
73.5 | 61.9 | 48.7 | 64.5 | 61.1 | 57.1 | 58.7 |
Head Start Benefits to Children
In an open-ended format, Classroom Teachers reported their opinions about the main benefits of Head Start for enrolled children. Their coded responses are shown in Exhibit 4-13. The three largest response categories were enhancement of children’s social skills (69.3%), improvement in school readiness (57.6%), and improvement in children’s health (36.7%). It was also apparent that teachers identified a far greater number and diversity of social benefits than academic or health benefits, although some benefits mentioned, such as school readiness, could be interpreted as encompassing both academic and social skills.
| Comment Category | Percentage of All Comments (n = 529) |
Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Social Relationships/Psychological Well Being | ||
| Enhancement of children's social skills | 69.3 | 1 |
| Improvement in social interactions with adults | 26.1 | 4 |
| Improvement in self esteem, self confidence | 10.1 | 6 |
| Enhancement of child's psychological development | 6.8 | 8 |
| Providing exposure to new experiences | 6.2 | 9 |
| Learning cooperation, sharing, problem solving, decision making | 3.8 | 13 |
| Learning discipline, responsibility, structure, routine | 3.4 | 15 |
| Learning independence, self help skills | 3.2 | 16 |
| Improved School Readiness/Academic Skills | ||
| Improvement in children's school readiness | 57.6 | 2 |
| Improvement in language, verbal skills | 3.6 | 14 |
| Other Benefits | ||
| Improvement in children's health | 36.7 | 3 |
| Enhancement of children's motor skills | 4.0 | 12 |
| Improved environment for development | ||
| Provision of a safe haven from home/neighborhood | 10.5 | 5 |
| Excludes categories mentioned by fewer than 2% of Classroom Teachers; Totals exceed 100 % due to multiple responses |
Exhibit 4-14 contains a summary of regional and urban/rural breakdowns for the three benefits identified most frequently. Classroom Teachers located in the South, X2 = 31.9; p < .01, and those located in rural areas, X2 = 13.3; p < .01, were far more likely to identify enhancement of social skills as a main benefit of Head Start to children. Conversely, teachers in the Northeast and Midwest, X2 = 11.2, p < .01, and in urban programs, X2 = 9.3; p < .01, were more likely to identify improvement in children’s school readiness as a main benefit. No regional or urban/rural differences were observed for improvements in children’s health.
| Comment Category | Unweighted Percentages | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North- east (n = 45) |
Mid- west (n = 142) |
South (n =202) |
West (n = 122) |
Puerto Rico (n =18) |
Rural (n = 153) |
Urban (n = 373) |
|
| Enhancement of children's social skills |
55.6 | 57.0 | 82.8 | 66.4 | 61.1 | 81.1 | 64.5 |
| Improvement in children's school readiness |
73.2 | 64.5 | 51.0 | 54.9 | 55.6 | 47.7 | 61.7 |
| Improvement in children's health | 31.1 | 34.5 | 36.6 | 36.9 | 66.7 | 38.6 | 36.2 |
4.3 Summary
Section 4.2 provides a description of the Head Start educational component, including curricula and classroom activities, and perceived benefits for children. The following is a summary of these findings.
The Head Start Education Component
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The Head Start Education Component consists of a wide variety of staff, including an Education Coordinator, child assessment specialists, trainers, and classroom staff, teachers, and teacher aides.
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The top priorities for training teachers as identified by Education Coordinators were in the areas of child development, classroom management, and teaching strategies.
-
Speech and language impairments, emotional/behavioral disorders, and developmental delay were the most frequent educational problems faced by Head Start educators.
-
Home visits by educational staff were targeted towards providing educational services for the children and parenting instruction for the adults in the home.
Curricula and Educational Programs
-
Education Coordinators, Center Directors, and Classroom Teachers reported that a wide variety of externally prepared curricula were employed in the classroom. The most popular were High Scope and the Creative Curriculum, but over 90 different “curricula” were identified.
-
More than 80% of Education Coordinators, Center Directors, and Classroom Teachers agreed that the curricula employed in their classrooms were formal, written educational plans containing goals for children’s learning and development, provided suggested teaching startegies, included suggested teaching materials, and included ways to involve parents in their children’s activities.
-
More than 60% of Education Coordinators and Center Directors, and 70% of Classroom Teachers, indicated that individual teachers were responsible for day-to-day instructional plans for children. Staff indicated that daily activities in the remaining classrooms were specified by Center Directors (as reported by 13-22% of staff) and Program Administrators (reported by 14-18% of staff).
-
Over 40% of Education Coordinators and 50% of Center Directors and Classroom Teachers indicated that local Head Start programs were responsible for preparation of instructional materials for children. The same staff in less than 10% of programs indicated that teaching materials were provided by state, regional, or national administrators.
-
Staff in the South and in rural programs was less likely than staff in other regions and urban programs to report that individual teachers had responsibility for day-to-day instructional plans for children.
Activities in Head Start Classrooms
-
Head Start Center Directors and Classroom Teachers reported that children were offered a wide variety of educational and social activities on a daily or almost daily basis. Almost all staff reported that they taught number concepts, colors, and read stories to the children in their classrooms daily or almost daily. Children also engaged in block building, free play, and indoor and outdoor physical activities daily or almost daily.
-
Center Directors and Classroom Teachers reported that they taught letters of the alphabet and provided computer time in their classrooms much less frequently than other academic activities. Approximately 15% of Center Directors and 10% of teachers reported that letters of the alphabet or words were never taught in their classrooms. Center Directors and Classroom Teachers in programs in the West and in Puerto Rico were less likely to teach letters of the alphabet or words in their daily activities.
-
Center Directors and Classroom Teachers responsible for just under one half of the FACES classrooms reported that computer time was provided to children on a daily basis; between 42-48% reported that computer time was not offered to children. All staff in the FACES programs in Puerto Rico reported that computer time was not offered to their children.
-
Classroom teachers in the South reported more time for reading to children in their classrooms, but were less likely to rate reading as “essential” than teachers in other regions.
Benefits of Head Start for Children
-
Classroom Teachers reported that the most frequently observed benefits to children were enhancement of children’s social skills, improvement in school readiness skills, and improvement in children’s health.
-
Classroom Teachers in the South and in rural programs were more likely to identify enhancement of social skills as a main benefit of Head Start, while teachers in the North and Midwest and from urban programs were more likely to identify school readiness as a main benefit of Head Start.
4.4 Interaction of Head Start Staff and Parents
The following sections are concerned with Head Start staff efforts to involve parents of enrolled children in program activities. Head Start center staff met with parents regularly when children arrived and left, at scheduled parent meetings, workshops, and during home visits. Parents were asked to volunteer their time in the classroom and in other center functions. Program staff interviews provided a significant amount of information about these activities as well as two additional topics: 1) efforts to increase the involvement of males in program activities, and 2) staff perceptions regarding barriers to parent involvement in program activities.
The Head Start Parent Involvement Component
The Head Start parent activities and involvement program was, at the time data collection began, organized under the direction of a Parent Involvement Coordinator (PIC), and often included parent volunteer managers, center activities coordinators, home visitors, trainers, consultants, and clerical staff. The coordinators for the 40 programs in FACES reported a total of 452 staff (an average of 11.3 staff per program; range 1 to 42) under their direction. The Parent Involvement Coordinator was usually responsible for management of the parent orientation, coordination of the Parent Policy Council and parent committees, management of parent volunteers, and conducting parent and family workshops and activities, including social gatherings.
The Parent Involvement Coordinator, Center Directors, and Classroom Teachers each had goals for what they wished to accomplish with parents (Exhibit 4-15). Most importantly, the program staff wished to teach parents about child development and parenting. Approximately 40% of both Center Directors and Classroom Teachers listed that goal as their most important. The second most frequently selected goal, to inform parents about their own children’s development, was identified by almost 25% of Center Directors and Classroom Teachers. No more than 8% of Classroom Teachers or 15% of Center Directors identified other goals as their most important.
| Goals for Parents | Unweighted Percentages | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *CD n = 89 |
*CT (n = 527) |
*EC (n = 38) |
*SSC (n = 39) |
*PIC (n = 38) |
*HC (n = 40) |
|
| Teach parents
about child development/ parenting |
39.3 | 41.6 | 47.4 | 5.9 | 26.3 | 20.0 |
| Inform parents
about their own child's development |
22.7 | 25.9 | 15.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| Help parents
become economically self - sufficient through education and employment |
14.5 | 6.8 | 13.2 | 41.2 | 31.6 | 12.5 |
| Help parents
identify their personal goals and ways to achieve them |
8.2 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 20.6 | 15.8 | 12.5 |
| Explain Head
Start principles and practices to parents |
4.1 | 7.2 | 5.3 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Help parents
develop a social support network of other parents and families |
3.4 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 13.2 | 0.0 |
| Have parents
participate in policy and program decisions |
2.8 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 20.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| Teach parents about health and nutrition | 1.4 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
| Help parents improve their literacy skills | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 45.0 |
| Have parents
plan and organize events and activities |
0.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| * CD = Center Director CT = Classroom Teacher (includes Administrative Teachers) EC = Education Coordinator SSC = Social Service Coordinator PIC = Parent Involvement Coordinator HC = Health Coordinator |
Head Start Meetings and Workshops
For most Head Start parents, their introduction to the program was through the recruitment process and the orientation meetings following their children’s enrollment. The primary responsibility for the orientation meeting lay with the Center Director, and most meetings were reported to be well-attended. On average, 38.3% of Center Directors reported their orientation meetings to be attended by almost all parents. An additional 30.2% estimated that about three quarters of all parents attended. Only 9.4% of Center Directors indicated that less than one quarter of all parents attended the parent orientation meetings.
Center Directors also considered these meetings quite useful. More than one third considered the meetings very productive; less than 10% reported that these meetings were not productive at all. Most importantly, the meetings provided parents with an opportunity to obtain the basic information about what to expect from Head Start and to express their own concerns. Exhibit 4-16 contains a summary of the most frequent concerns expressed by parents at the orientation meetings. As shown, many of these items were general requests for basic information or clarification of information about the program, such as obtaining information about their children’s transportation (58.2% of Center Directors indicated that topic was one of the three most frequent concerns during orientation meetings), the approach the program would take towards school readiness and academic skills (50.3%), the curriculum content (43.4%), and the hours of center operations (43.4%).
| Parent Concerns Expressed at Orientation Meetings | Percentage Indicating Topic is
One of Top Three Concerns Expressed by Parents During Parent Orientation Meetings |
|---|---|
| Center Directors/Administrative
Teachers (n = 139) |
|
| Transportation for children to and from center | 58.2 |
| School readiness and academic skills | 50.3 |
| Classroom curriculum content and methods | 43.4 |
| Hours of center operations | 43.4 |
| Disciplinary methods of teachers | 19.3 |
| Child care issues or availability | 15.9 |
| Opportunities for parent involvement | 11.7 |
| Confidentiality regarding family/child matters | 7.6 |
| Safety of facility | 6.9 |
| Staff/child ratio/supervision of children | 6.2 |
| Staff availability to parents | 5.5 |
| Transportation of parents to/from the center | 4.8 |
| Cultural sensitivity/awareness of staff/teachers | 2.1 |
Parent meetings and workshops were held regularly (Exhibit 4-17). In over 50% of programs, parenting education workshops were held at least monthly. Nearly as many programs reported holding Adult Literacy/ESL/GED classes monthly or more often. Employment assistance workshops (reported by 34.5% of Center Directors to be held monthly) and support/self help groups (30.3%) were also held relatively frequently. Not only were these meetings reported to be held most frequently, they were also among the topics that were reported to have the highest attendance. Center Directors reported the greatest attendance at the orientation (54.5% of Center Directors identified this meeting as one of the three most well-attended). Other popular meetings were reported to be parenting (35.9%), adult literacy (25.5%), child development (25.5%), and employment assistance (22.1%).
| Parent Meeting Topics | Percentage of Parent Meeting Topics | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Directors/Administrative
Teachers (n = 145) |
||||
| Never | Once a Year |
2-5 Times a Year |
Monthly
or More Often |
|
| Orientation to Head Start principles and practices | 0.0 | 63.0 | 28.8 | 8.2 |
| Adult literacy/ESL/GED classes | 21.3 | 6.8 | 22.6 | 49.3 |
| Employment assistance workshops | 19.3 | 13.8 | 32.4 | 34.5 |
| Basic finance and budgeting skills workshops | 31.1 | 31.7 | 26.9 | 10.3 |
| Parenting education workshops | 3.5 | 15.9 | 30.3 | 50.3 |
| Health/nutrition workshops | 6.2 | 27.1 | 46.0 | 24.8 |
| Child growth, behavior and development workshops | 8.35 | 18.6 | 50.3 | 22.8 |
| Social activities for adults only | 29.6 | 22.1 | 26.2 | 2.0 |
| Support or self help groups | 34.85 | 12.4 | 23.4 | 30.3 |
| Family violence education | 15.1 | 32.4 | 38.6 | 13.8 |
Center Staff Contacts with Parents
Exhibit 4-18 conveys that Classroom Teachers reported high rates of contact with families when they dropped off or picked up their children (95.4% at least monthly), through notes sent to the home (89.0% monthly), at general parent meetings (88.6%), and through phone calls home (72.9%). Less frequently, classroom staff and parents met at parent/family workshops and during informal parent-staff conferences (both types of contacts were reported occurring at least monthly by a majority of the Classroom Teachers). One third of the Classroom Teachers (33.4%) reported monthly contact at scheduled meetings with parents at the center, and about one in ten (9.6%) had contact through home visits. Classroom Teachers in rural programs reported more frequent contact with parents at informal parent-staff conferences and parent meetings, through notes sent home, and at home visits than did Classroom Teachers in urban centers.
| Type of Contact | Unweighted Percentages (n = 529) |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Less Than Twice a Year |
2-6 Times a Year |
At Least Monthly |
|
| When parents drop off or pick up their children | 0.9 | 3.8 | 95.4 |
| Through notes sent to the home | 3.9 | 7.1 | 89.0 |
| At general parent meetings | 4.9 | 6.7 | 88.6 |
| Through phone calls home | 5.2 | 22.0 | 72.9 |
| At Head Start parent/family activities and workshops | 12.3 | 32.4 | 55.3 |
| During informal parent-staff conferences | 9.0 | 37.5 | 53.5 |
| At scheduled meetings with individual parents at the center | 5.3 | 61.3 | 33.4 |
| During home visits | 2.0 | 88.5 | 9.6 |
Classroom Teachers also reported attempts to encourage parents to become involved or at least to spend time with other Head Start parents (Exhibit 4-19). Among these efforts, Classroom Teachers most frequently encouraged parents to share their skills with others (54.0%), introduced parents or family members to other adults at the center (41.7%), and encouraged veteran parents to orient new parents to the center routines and activities (40.7%). Approximately 1 in 5 Center Teachers (18.2%) encouraged parents to call other parents.
| Type of Activity Promoted | Unweighted Percentages (n = 529) |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rarely or Never |
Sometimes | Frequently | |
| Found out what skills parents have that could be shared | 4.5 | 41.4 | 54.0 |
| Introduced parents or family members | 16.1 | 42.2 | 41.7 |
| Encouraged veteran parents to orient newer parents | 20.9 | 38.4 | 40.7 |
| Encouraged parents or family members to call other parents | 36.8 | 45.0 | 18.2 |
Use of Parent Volunteers in Head Start
Classroom Teachers reported that approximately three parents per week volunteered in their classrooms, and that approximately 31% of these volunteers were male. About 30% of teachers indicated that parents volunteered in the classroom every day; another 42% indicated that parents were present once a week or more often. Before serving as a volunteer, parents were provided with an orientation that included center or Head Start policies (as reported by 100% of the Parent Involvement Coordinators), roles and responsibilities of volunteers (100%), organizational structure of Head Start (97.5%), and information regarding parent volunteering that was contained in the Head Start Program Performance Standards (95%). Exhibit 4-20 indicates how parent volunteers were typically used in Head Start classrooms. For over 90% of classrooms, parents were asked to help with special events (97.7%), assist classroom staff during mealtimes (96.0%), clean up the classroom (91.3%), and serve as classroom aides (90.7%). These routine activities required that parents visit the center and be involved in classroom activities. Less frequently, parents were asked to prepare education materials (81.3% of classrooms), contribute supplies (79.3%), contact parents to notify them of meetings (74.7%), help with curriculum planning (64.8%), assist in the preparation of a newsletter for parents (55.7%), serve as a parent workshop leader (45.8%), and participate in home visits (16.6%). In centers located in Puerto Rico, parents appeared to be more frequently used in responsible roles such as serving as parent workshop leaders (77.8%) or participating in home visits (55.6%). Staff in the Western region of the nation were more likely to ask parents to act as interpreters (75.2%).
There were some regional and urban-rural differences observed in the use of parent volunteers. For several roles, Classroom Teachers in the South indicated that they employed parent volunteers more than other regions; these included contributing supplies, X2 = 12.8, p < .01, and contacting parents to notify them of meetings, X2 = 14.7, p < .01. In addition, the Classroom Teachers in the South appeared to involve parents more often in preparing newsletters for parents, X2 = 23.5, p < .01, and participating in home visits, X2 = 38.2, p < .01. Classroom teachers in the West reported more use of parents to advise on ethnic customs, X2 = 26.5, p < .01, to serve as workshop leaders, X2 = 11.9, p < .05, and as interpreters in the classroom, X2 = 70.3, p < .01. Finally, teachers in the Northeast reported that parents were employed in chores or maintenance more than teachers in other regions, X2 = 16.3, p < .01.
Some differences were reported by teachers from rural and urban areas as well. Classroom Teachers from rural areas were more likely to report that parents assisted classroom staff during mealtimes, X2 = 8.4, p < .01, and that parents served as classroom aides, X2 = 9.9, p < .01, while those from urban areas reported more frequent use of parents as interpreters, X2 = 6.4, p < .05.
| Unweighted Percentages | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North- east (n =37) |
Mid- west (n =135) |
South (n =197) |
West (n =120) |
Puerto Rico (n =18) |
Rural (n =143) |
Urban (n =364) |
|
| Helping with special eventsa |
90.9 | 98.1 | 98.6 | 97.7 | -- | 97.8 | 97.7 |
| Assisting staff during mealtimes | 97.2 | 98.5 | 96.9 | 92.4 | 88.9 | 100.0 | 94.5 |
| Cleaning up classrooma |
81.8 | 88.4 | 94.1 | 92.9 | -- | 87.8 | 92.6 |
| Serving as classroom aide |
97.3 | 89.6 | 92.4 | 85.8 | 100.0 | 97.2 | 88.2 |
| Preparing educational materialsa | 72.7 | 79.4 | 81.2 | 86.1 | -- | 81.5 | 81.3 |
| Contributing suppliesa | 68.2 | 80.6 | 86.9 | 68.2 | -- | 84.6 | 77.3 |
| Contacting parents about meetings |
65.7 | 67.2 | 79.6 | 73.5 | 100.0 | 76.8 | 73.8 |
| Helping with curriculum planninga |
54.6 | 68.9 | 62.3 | 66.3 | -- | 65.2 | 64.6 |
| Doing chores or maintenancea | 81.8 | 56.9 | 73.9 | 52.3 | -- | 70.3 | 61.9 |
| Advising on ethnic customs |
60.0 | 48.2 | 55.6 | 76.3 | 83.3 | 61.5 | 59.1 |
| Preparing a newsletter for parents |
40.6 | 49.6 | 63.4 | 47.9 | 94.4 | 56.3 | 55.4 |
| Serving as a parent workshop leader | 40.0 | 38.0 | 46.4 | 50.0 | 77.8 | 47.9 | 44.9 |
| Interpreting in the classroom |
34.4 | 29.8 | 31.6 | 75.2 | 0.0 | 32.8 | 46.1 |
| Participating in home visits |
11.1 | 11.3 | 23.5 | 6.8 | 55.6 | 12.0 | 18.4 |
| aN = 349; these items were not included in the spring 1997 interview (Northeast n = 22; Midwest n = 103; South n = 138; West n = 86; Rural n = 92; Urban n = 257).(back) |
In addition to those tasks, parent volunteers often participated in health screenings. The Parent Involvement Coordinators reported that parents assisted in height/weight measurements in 63.6% of programs and assisted with vision screenings (48.6%). Far less frequently, parent volunteers were allowed to check immunization records (11.1%) and enter data in medical records (5.4%).
Present and former Head Start parents were frequently employed by the program (Exhibit 4-21). Although about 25% of Center Directors/Administrative Teachers could not address the numbers of former or present parents employed by their centers, 93.1% of those Center Directors that did answer indicated that their centers employed current or former Head Start parents. Almost 80% of those centers had Head Start parents or former Head Start parents serving as classroom aides. At the program level, Parent Involvement Coordinators reported that over 90% of the 40 FACES programs employed former or current parents as teachers in their classrooms.
| Job Category | Unweighted Percentage of Centers (n = 116) |
|---|---|
| Teacher | 49.0 |
| Teacher's aide | 79.1 |
| Cook | 46.4 |
| Meal preparation assistant | 18.4 |
| Bus driver | 36.6 |
| Maintenance staff | 22.5 |
| Administrator | 35.7 |
Home Visits by Head Start Staff
Home visits were required of Head Start staff in every program (as reported by Parent Involvement Coordinators) and in all but three centers (as reported by the Center Directors). For about 75% of the centers, two yearly visits were the minimum. For the remaining programs and centers, three visits were the minimum according to both the Parent Involvement Coordinators, who reported that 15% of their programs required three visits, and Center Directors, who indicated the same for about 25% of centers.
The primary goals for home visits by the center staff as reported by Center Directors and Classroom Teachers are identified in Exhibit 4-22. Their top two goals for these visits were to inform parents about Head Start and the services it offers and to provide assistance with basic needs.
| Services Provided During Home Visits | Percentage Indicating Service as one of Top Three Goals |
|
|---|---|---|
| Center Directors (n = 89) |
Classroom Teachers (n = 507) |
|
| Provide educational experiences to the Head Start children | 32.6 | 35.9 |
| Provide educational experiences to other children in the household | 22.5 | 12.2 |
| Provide instructions to caregiver on parenting, education, or child development | ||