ACF OPRE: Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES)

4.0 Monthly Telephone Interviews

4.1 Overview

Brief, monthly telephone interviews, consisting of close-ended questions, were conducted with the case study families over the course of 12 months. Core questions were asked each month to provide updates on changes in each family’s household composition, child care arrangements, employment status, health status, and Head Start participation. Rotated questions were asked approximately once every six months regarding each family’s social support, psychological well-being, family resources, and transitions to kindergarten. The findings from these telephone interviews are presented in this chapter.

4.2 Core Questions

The monthly telephone interviews were conducted over two continuous spans of time covering twelve months: 1) a five-month period from November 1997 to March of 1998, and 2) a seven-month period from June 1998 to December 1998. From these two spans, three samples were created to conduct analyses on the core data from the telephone interviews.1

Five-Month Sample: Families who responded at least three times in the 5-month span from November 1997 to March 1998. This sample included 72 out of the 113 case study families (64%) in the sample during this time span. The most typical families (51%) responded 4 out of the 5 months, 26% responded 3 months, and 22% responded all 5 months.
Seven-Month Sample: Families who responded at least five times in the 7-month span from June 1998 to December 1998. This sample includes 56 out of the 104 case study families in the sample at the end of the study (54%). The most typical families responded all 7 months (48%), 32% responded 5 months, and 20% responded 6 months.
Twelve-Month Sample: Families who responded at least eight times in the 12 months combining both spans from November 1997 to December 1998. This sample includes 47 out of the 104 case study families in the sample at the end of the study (45%). The most typical families responded 11 months out of the 12 months (36%), 11% responded 8 months, 13% responded 9 months, 19% responded 10 months, and 21% responded during all 12 months.

Analyses with these samples allowed for comparisons over three separate samples of families to determine the consistency of the findings over time, as well as to look at findings based on different lengths of time. The following sections present the findings from the core data collected monthly from the Head Start families.

Household Composition

Across the three samples, roughly one third of the families (between 27% and 38%) experienced a change in their household compositions. Approximately 1 in 4 of the families in the seven-month sample had someone move in or out of their households, and as many as 1 in 3 of the families in the five-and twelve-month samples had someone move in or out of their households (Exhibit 4-1). Most families experienced changes in their household composition only once over the three samples (84%, 53%, and 61% respectively), although more than one third of the families experienced changes twice or more in the seven- and twelve-month samples. Most of the families’ changes in household composition involved people moving into their home across the three samples (64%, 53%, and 61% respectively). Most of these moves into the household involved immediate family members –including mothers, fathers, siblings and step-family members across the three samples (53%, 59%, and 67%, respectively).

Exhibit 4-1

Changes in the Household Composition of Head Start Families
Percentage of Families With
	Five-Month Sample (n = 72)	Seven-Month Sample (n = 56)	Twelve-Month Sample (n = 47)
Changes in Their Households	35	27	38
Once	84	53	61
Twice or more	16	47	39
Percentage of Families with:
Moves in	64	53	61
Moves out	24	7	11
Moves in and out	12	40	28
Immediate family member moves in	53	59	67

Employment

Results presented in Exhibit 4-2 indicate that almost one third of the families (32%) experienced a change in employment in the five-month sample, while more than one half of the families experienced a change in employment in the seven- and twelve-month samples (52% and 60%, respectively). In addition to being more likely to have experienced a change in employment status, more than one half of the families in the seven- and twelve-month samples who did have a change in employment status were likely to have experienced two or more changes (55% and 57%, respectively). The majority of families in the five-month sample who did have a change in employment status experienced only one such change (74%).

More families gained employment across all three samples, with as many as two thirds to three fourths of the families in the five- and twelve-month sample gaining employment (78% and 66%, respectively). Between one quarter to one third of the families lost employment across the three samples (26%, 37%, and 34%, respectively). Results were not consistent across the three samples in regard to full-time employment. More families in the five-month sample gained full-time employment (61%) than lost full-time employment (17%), more families in the seven-month sample lost full-time employment (82%) than gained full-time employment (50%), and about an equal number of families in the twelvemonth sample gained (42%) and lost (44%) full-time employment. Although results were mixed as to whether most families gained or lost full-time employment, the results showed that females in Head Start families were experiencing a majority of these changes. Across all three samples, over 70% of the gains in employment and over 50% of the lost employment opportunities involved females. These results are not surprising given that female-only headed households comprised 52% of the case-study sample.

Exhibit 4-2

Changes in the Employment Status
Percentage of Families With
	Five-Month Sample (n = 72)	Seven-Month Sample (n = 56)	Twelve-Month Sample (n = 47)
Changes in Employment	32	52	60
One change	74	45	43
Two or more changes	26	55	57
Percentage of Families:
Gained employment	78	48	66
Lost employment	26	37	34
Gained full-time employment	61	50	42
Lost full-time employment	17	82	44
Percentage of Families:a
Mother gained employment	78b	71c	74d
Father gained employment	22	14	21
Mother lost employment	50	62	50
Father lost employment	50	23	30

aReported percentages are based on households.(back)

bIn the 5 month sample, mothers were present in 90% of households; fathers were present in 48% of households.(back)

cIn the 7 month sample, mothers were present in 91% of households; fathers were present in 43% of households.(back)

dIn the 12 month sample, mothers were present in 89% of households; fathers were present in 46% of households.(back)

Household Income

Results presented in Exhibit 4-3 indicate that almost one fourth of the families (24%) in the five-month sample experienced a change in their household incomes, while almost 4 out of 10 families in the seven- and twelve-month samples (37% and 40%, respectively) experienced change in their household incomes. In addition to being more likely to have experienced a change in income, more than 60% of the families in the seven- and twelve-month samples who did have a change in income were likely to have experienced two or more changes. The majority of families in the five-month sample who did have a change in income experienced one change (71%).

More gains rather than losses in income were found in the seven- and twelve-month samples, which have longer time frames. In both of these samples, more than 60% of income changes were gains while approximately 40% of changes were losses of income. However, in the five-month sample, with a shorter time frame, 60% of the changes were losses of income and 40% of the changes were gains. Results examining gains and losses among use of federal programs showed few systemic patterns. However, results across the three samples indicate that as few as 11% and as many as 33% of the changes in household income among Head Start families involved losing TANF benefits. In addition, results across the three samples consistently showed that 1 out of 5 changes in household income involved losing food stamps.

Exhibit 4-3

Changes in Household Income
Percentage of Families With
	Five-Month Sample (n = 72)	Seven-Month Sample (n = 56)	Twelve-Month Sample (n = 47)
Changes in Income:	24	37	40
One change	71	38	37
Two or more changes	29	62	63
Percentage of Changes in
Income That Were Gains:	40	64	63
Gained TANF	0	7	0
Gained food stamps	20	7	7
Gained WIC	10	7	7
Gained Medicaid	10	19	7
Percentage of Changes in
Income That Were Losses:	60	41	38
Gained TANF	20	33	11
Gained food stamps	27	22	22
Gained WIC	7	11	22
Gained Medicaid	7	0	11

Health

Results presented in Exhibit 4-4 indicate that most Head Start families experienced some physical illness, and of those families, a majority experienced illness more than once. Over 60% of families in all three samples reported that at least one adult or child in their households had a physical illness, and over 60% of these families reported a child or adult who was sick more than once. One third to one half of the time it was the Head Start children or their siblings who were sick. Surprisingly, in one quarter to one third of the cases across the samples, the physical illnesses were serious enough to require hospitalization.

The percentage of Head Start families experiencing accidents or injuries ranged from 21% in the five-month sample to 43% in the twelve-month sample. The majority of accidents or injuries involved children and required hospitalization in between 15-20% of cases. The percentage of Head Start families experiencing psychological or emotional problems ranged from 18% in the five-month sample to 34% in the twelve-month sample. The majority of psychological or emotional problems involved adults and none required hospitalization.

Exhibit 4-4

Family Health
Percentage of Families Who Had:	Five-Month Sample (n = 72)	Seven-Month Sample (n = 56)	Twelve-Month Sample (n = 47)
Physical Illnesses:	69	64	81
Once	36	31	21
Twice or more	64	64	76
Every month	24	5	3
Head Start child	45	29	39
Mother/father	30	51	32
Siblings	15	12	18
Percentage hospitalized	24	34	32
Accidents or Injuries:	21	29	43
Adults	22	47	38
Children	78	53	62
Percentage hospitalized	21	18	15
Psychological or Emotional Problems:	18	27	34
Adults	62	67	75
Children	38	33	25
Percentage hospitalized	0	0	0

Child Care Arrangements

Results presented in Exhibit 4-5 indicate that 40% or more of the Head Start families in the seven- and twelve-month samples reported changes in their child care arrangements. In addition, a majority of the families experienced two or more changes in child care arrangements during these times. More than 1 out of 4 families (26%) in the twelve-month sample had three or more changes in child care arrangements. Results from the five-month sample, with a shorter time frame, indicated that 18% of families had changes in child care arrangements, and a majority experienced only one change in child care arrangements during that time. Results also indicated that about two thirds of the Head Start families who experienced changes in child care arrangements had their children in some form of child care for 20 hours a week or more.

Exhibit 4-5

Child Care Arrangements
	Five-Month Sample (n = 72)	Seven-Month Sample (n = 56)	Twelve-Month Sample (n = 47)
Percentage of Families With Changes in Child Care Arrangements:	18	41	40
One change	77	43	37
Two or more changes	23	57	63
In child care 20 hours/week	62	65	68

Involvement in Head Start

When examining the five-month sample, which is the only sample that includes a time period with no months where Head Start was out of session (November to March), a majority of families (73%) were asked to participate in an activity every month (Exhibit 4-6). The results of families’ involvement in specific Head Start activities, such as parent meetings, volunteering, and field trips, show similar findings across activities – high rates of families being asked to participate in activities, high rates of participation by families, and high levels of satisfaction with these activities.

Exhibit 4-6

Involvement in Head Start Activities
	Five-Month Sample (n = 72)
Percentage of Families Asked to Participate:	97
Every month	73
Percentage of Families Asked to Participate in Parent Meetings:	94
Every month	55
% Participated	50
% Very Satisfied	63
Percentage of Families Asked to Participate in Parent-teacher Conferences:	71
Every month	15
% Participated	71
% Very Satisfied	71
Percentage of Families Asked to Volunteer:	80
Every month	30
% Participated	66
% Very Satisfied	81
Percent of Families Asked to Participate in Home Visits:	54
% Participated	92
% Very Satisfied	76
Percentage of Families Asked to Participate in a Field Trip:	88
Every month	19
% Participated	54
% Very Satisfied	77

4.3 Rotated Questions

The following sections present the findings from rotated data collected approximately every six months from the Head Start families regarding social support, psychological well-being, family resources, and their children’s transitions to school.

Social Support

Head Start families were asked about three types of social support over the course of the study: intimate, informational, and instrumental. Intimate social support concerned the availability of a confidant or someone to talk to about personal matters, informational social support involved whether parents had someone they could get advice or information from regarding parenting, and instrumental social support involved the availability of someone to help with daily household and child care tasks. For each type of support, parents were asked about their need for the support, the availability and receipt of the support they needed, and their satisfaction with the social support they received. Need was measured on a 5-point scale ranging from no need (1) to very great need (5). Satisfaction was measured on a 6-point scale ranging from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (6). Families were asked about each type of social support twice a year using measures adapted from previous studies (Chen, Telleen, & Chen, 1995).

Intimate Social Support. In February of 1998 and September of 1998, families were asked whether they had a need for someone to whom they could talk about personal and private things, whether they had such a person available to them, and whether or not they were satisfied with the support provided from this person. Data were collected from 90 of the case study families in the sample (77%) at least once and collected for 52 of the 90 families at both time points.

In terms of Head Start families’ need for intimate social support, findings indicated that the majority of families had at least some need, although the average need was slight. Seventy percent of families indicated that they had some need for intimate social support at least once and 60% of families indicated a need at both time points. The average need was slight (2.3 on a 5 point scale) and did not change over time. However, almost 1 out of 5 of the parents (19%) reported a great need for intimate social support.

Findings revealed that most families who needed intimate social support also felt it was available to them, and a majority of the families reported that they received intimate social support when needed. Intimate social support was available to 75% of families who reported that they needed intimate social support at least once, while 64% of the families indicated it was available at both time points. These findings also reflect some variability in the availability of intimate social support over time with 73% of families indicating it was available in January of 1998 and 66% in August of 1998. Ninety-five percent of the families who indicated they needed intimate social support received support at least once and 91% of the families indicated they received it at both time points. The receipt of intimate social support did not change over time.

Results displayed in Exhibit 4-7 indicated that the average network size of individuals who provided intimate social support to the parents was 1.4 persons. Sixty-five percent of parents had at least one person they could talk to about something personal or private, 30% had more than one person, and only 5% of parents had no one with whom they could talk. Parents most often received intimate social support from extended family members (48%) and friends or neighbors (51%). Eleven percent of the parents received intimate support from Head Start staff, more than from church leaders or members, colleagues at work, or other professionals combined.

Exhibit 4-7

Intimate Social Support Networks of the Parents
	Mean SD
Average Network Size	1.4 (.86)
January 1998	1.5 (.99)
August 1998	1.3 (.88)
	Percentages
No person in network	5
One person in network	65
One or more in network	30
Types of Relationships in Network:
Friend/neighbor	51
Extended family	48
Spouse/partner/ex	22
Son/daughter	2
Head Start	11
Work	5
Professional help givers	3
Church	2

Finally, the majority of Head Start families (73%) were very satisfied with the intimate social support they received. The average satisfaction rating was 5.5 on a 6-point scale and did not change over time.

Informational Social Support. In January of 1998 and August of 1998, families were asked whether they had a need for someone to whom they could go to for information or advice about parenting, if such a person was available, and whether or not they were satisfied with the support they received from this person. Data were collected from 85 of the case study families in the sample (74%) at least once, and collected for 41 of the 85 families at both time points.

In terms of the families’ need for informational social support, findings indicated that less than one half of the families had some need, and the average need was slight. Forty-nine percent of families had some need for informational social support at least once, and 35% of the families indicated a need at both time points. Only 2% of the families reported that they had a great need (4 or more on 5 point scale) for informational social support. The average need was slight (1.7 on a 5-point scale) and did not change over time.

Findings indicated that most families who needed informational social support had it available to them, and a majority of families received informational social support when needed. Informational social support was available to 74% of families who indicated they needed informational social support at least once and 55% of the families indicated it was available at both time points. These findings also suggest some variability in the availability of informational social support over time, with 86% of families indicating it was available in February of 1998 and 50% in September of 1998. Ninety-eight percent of families who indicated they needed informational social support received this support at least once and 95% of families indicated they received it at both time points. The receipt of informational social support also varied slightly over time, with 90% of families reporting they received support in February of 1998 and 97% in September of 1998.

Results displayed in Exhibit 4-8 show that the average network size of individuals who provided informational social support to Head Start parents was 1.6 persons. Forty-eight percent of parents had at least one person from whom they could get parenting advice or information, 50% had more than one person, and only 2% of the parents had no one with whom they could talk. Parents most often received informational social support from extended family members (56%). Almost one fifth of the parents (19%) received informational support from Head Start staff, more than from friends or neighbors, church leaders or members, colleagues at work, or other professionals.

Exhibit 4-8

Informational Social Support Networks of the Parents
Types of Relationships in network:	Percentages
	Mean SD
Average Network Size:	1.6 (.75)
February 1998:	1.4 (.81)
September 1998:	1.6 (.79)
	Percentages
No person in network	2
One person in network	48
One or more in network	50
Extended family	56
Head Start	19
Friend/neighbor	14
Professional helpgivers	14
Spouse/partner/ex	9
Work	7
Church	2
Son/daughter	0

Finally, most Head Start families (66%) were very satisfied with the informational social support they received. The average satisfaction rating was 5.3 on a 6-point scale and varied over time from 5.5 in February of 1998 to 5.1 in September of 1998.

Instrumental Social Support. Head Start families were asked in March of 1998 and again in October of 1998 whether they needed someone to help them take care of the daily needs of their children and daily household tasks, the availability of such a person, and whether or not they were satisfied with the support they received from this person. Data were collected from 84 of the case study families in the sample (74%) at least once and collected for 44 of the 84 families at both time points.

In terms of the Head Start families’ need for instrumental social support to help with their children’s daily needs, findings revealed that most families had some need, and that the average need was slight. Sixty-one percent of the families reported that they had some need for instrumental social support to care for their children at least once, and 43% of the families indicated a need at both time points. Only 7% of the families felt they had a great need for instrumental social support for the care of their children.

The average need was slight (1.9 on a 5 point scale) and did not change over time. In terms of Head Start families’ need for instrumental social support to help with daily household tasks, findings show that less than one half of the families had some need and that the average need was slight. Forty-six percent of families indicated that they had some need for instrumental social support with household tasks at least once, while 32% of families indicated a need at both time points. One out of ten families (10%) indicated that they had a great need for instrumental social support with household tasks. The average need was slight (1.9 on a 5 point scale) and did not change over time.

In terms of the Head Start families’ having instrumental social support for child care duties and household tasks available to them and actually receiving such support, findings show that most families who needed instrumental social support had it available to them, and that a majority of families received instrumental social support when needed. Instrumental social support for child care duties was available to 86% of families who indicated they needed instrumental social support at least once, and 75% of families indicated it was available at both time points. Likewise, instrumental social support for household tasks was available to 67% of the families who indicated they needed instrumental social support at least once and 56% of families indicated it was available at both time points. These findings show some variability in the availability of instrumental social support over time, with 82% of families indicating instrumental social support for child care was available in March of 1998 and 78% in October of 1998, while 65% of families indicated that instrumental social support for household tasks was available in March of 1998 and 58% in October of 1998. Ninety percent of the families who indicated they needed instrumental social support for child care received support at least once, and 84% of families reported that they received it at both time points. The receipt of instrumental social support for child care also varied over time, with 82% of families indicating they received support in March of 1998 and 90% in October of 1998. However, relatively fewer families said they received instrumental social support for household tasks. Sixty-nine percent of the families who indicated they needed instrumental social support for household tasks received support at least once and 62% of the families indicated they received it at both time points. The receipt of instrumental social support for household tasks did not vary over time.

Results displayed in Exhibit 4-9 indicate that the average network size of individuals who provided instrumental social support to the Head Start parents was 1.3 persons for child care duties, and 0.9 persons for household tasks. Fifty-three percent of parents had at least one person they could get help from with child care duties, 37% had more than one person, and 10% of the parents had no one available to give them such help. While 41% of the parents had at least one person they could get help from with household tasks, 28% had more than one person, and 31% of parents had no one who could give them household help. Parents most often received instrumental social support from extended family members and spouses or partners. Sixty-three percent of parents received help with child care tasks from extended family members and 33% received help from their spouse or partner. Likewise, 38% of parents received help from their spouse or partner with household tasks, and 33% received help from extended family members.

Exhibit 4-9

Instrumental Social Support Networks of the Parents
	Child Care Mean SD	Household Tasks Mean SD
Average Network Size:	1.3 (.90)	0.9 (.80)
March 1998	1.5 (1.2)	0.9 (.79)
October 1998	1.2 (.80)	0.9 (.89)
	Percentages	Percentages
No person in network	10	31
One person in network	53	41
One or more in network	37	28
Types of Relationships in Network:
Extended family	63	33
Spouse/partner/ex	33	38
Son/daughter	4	15
Friend/neighbor	14	3
Church	0	0
Head Start	0	0
Work	0	0
Professional help givers	0	0

Finally, most Head Start families were very satisfied with the instrumental social support they received. Seventy-five percent of families indicated they were very satisfied with the support they received with child care tasks and 54% were very satisfied with the support they received with household tasks. The average satisfaction rating was 5.6 for child care task support and 5.3 for household task support, both on 6-point scales. The average satisfaction rating did vary over time for both child care and household task support. Instrumental social support for child care tasks varied from 5.7 in March of 1998 to 5.5 in October of 1998 while instrumental social support for household tasks changed from 5.0 in March of 1998 to 5.4 in October of 1998.

Psychological Well-Being

Head Start families were asked about their psychological well being in November of 1997, June of 1998, and again in November of 1998, using the 20-item CES-D scale (Radloff, 1977). Data were collected from 94 of the case study families in the sample (78%) at least once. Data were collected for 44 of the 94 families at two time points and for 19 of the 94 families at all three time points.

Results from summing the items into a scale score reveal that, on average, the parents were mildly depressed. The sum scores indicate that 34% of the parents were not depressed at any time we talked to them. However, over one fourth (26%) of the parents were mildly depressed at least once during the study, 16% were moderately depressed, and 24% were severely depressed at least once during the study period. Findings presented in Exhibit 4-10 reveal that on 6 out of 12 of the individual items, more than 20% of the sample reported feeling that way occasionally to most of the time. Finally, psychological well-being was stable over time – the average response did not change over the three time points measured in the study.

Exhibit 4-10

Psychological Well-Being of the Parents
What percentage of parents said they:	Percentages Occasionally to Most of the Time	Average Response Mean SD Range: 0-3
Were bothered by things that usually don't bother them	13	1.6 (.71)
Felt everything they did was an effort	44	2.2 (1.2)
Had trouble keeping their mind on what they were doing	23	1.8 (.96)
Felt sad	20	1.7 (.83)
Felt fearful	10	1.4 (.68)
Felt lonely	21	1.6 (.87)
Talked less than usual	14	1.4 (.65)
Slept restlessly	29	1.9 (.96)
Felt they could not shake the blues	13	1.5 (.81)
Could not get going	23	1.8 (.80)
Did not feel like eating	16	1.5 (.88)
Felt depressed	13	1.5 (.79)

Family Resources

Head Start families were asked about their family resources in July of 1998 and again in December of 1998 using the 19-item Family Resources Scale (Dunst & Leet, 1987). Data were collected from 80 of the case study families in the sample (74%) at least once and collected from 42 of the 80 families at both time points.

Exhibit 4-11 displays the results for the 19 items of the Family Resource Scale using the sample of 80 Head Start families. Results indicated that in terms of financial resources (the first 12 items in the exhibit), most Head Start families were meeting the basic needs of their families. More than 60% of the families were frequently or always able to pay their monthly bills and had enough money to buy necessities. In addition, more than 75% of families were frequently or always able to have enough food, clothes, furniture, toys, and room in their homes. However, Head Start families did report that they had some difficulties in meeting less basic needs with their financial resources. For instance, most families (>70%) did not feel that they frequently or always had enough money to buy things for themselves, for family entertainment, or to give their children all they wanted to give them. In addition, almost all families (>90%) indicated that they did not frequently or always have enough money for travel, vacations or to save.

Results presented in Exhibit 4-11 also indicated that in terms of the quality of life or support resources (the last 7 items in the exhibit) most Head Start families had strong intra-family supports but often lacked personal or interpersonal supports. For instance, the majority of families (>70%) reported that they frequently or always had enough time to spend with their children and together with their entire family. However, more than 60% of families frequently or always felt that they did not have enough time for themselves, their spouses or close friends, or have enough time to get enough rest or sleep. Finally, results indicated that family resources were stable over the six-month time period measured - the average response (2.2) did not change from July of 1998 to December of 1998.

Exhibit 4-11

Family Resources
What percentage of parents said they:	Percentages Frequently or Always	Average Response Mean (SD)
Financial Resources
Had enough money to pay monthly bills	62	2.5 (.63)
Had enough money to buy necessities	62	2.5 (.58)
Had enough food for three meals a day	91	2.8 (.41)
Had enough clothes for their family	86	2.8 (.51)
Had enough room or space in their home	75	2.6 (.65)
Had enough furniture for their home	91	2.8 (.54)
Had enough toys for their children	87	2.8 (.47)
Had enough money to by things for themselves	26	1.9 (.73)
Had enough money to give their children all that they want to give them	21	1.7 (.71)
Had enough money for family entertainment	29	2.0 (.66)
Had enough money for travel or vacation	8	1.4 (.61)
Had enough money to save	6	1.4 (.56)
Quality of Life Resources:
Get enough sleep or rest	32	2.0 (.73)
Had enough time to be with their spouse	38	2.2 (.77)
Had enough time together as an entire family	71	2.6 (.63)
Had enough time to be with their children	82	2.8 (.61)
Had enough time to themselves	26	1.8 (.75)
Had enough time to be with close friends	17	1.8 (.63)
Had enough time to socialize	24	1.9 (.62)

Transition to Kindergarten

Head Start families were asked how ready they felt their children were to enter kindergarten in July of 1998 (at the end of their Head Start experience) and again in December of 1998 (after the children attended kindergarten for a few months). Data were collected from 57 of the case study families in the sample (53%) at least once and collected for 21 of the 57 families at both time points.

Results displayed in Exhibit 4-12 indicated that most parents felt their children were very ready physically, academically and socially for school. Results also suggested that the findings for physical and social readiness were stable over the six-month time span measured – average responses did not change between July of 1998 and December of 1998. However, there was variation in the parents’ perceptions of how ready their children were academically prepared for school. On a 3-point scale with 3.0 representing “very prepared,” the average response was 2.8 in July of 1998, and decreased slightly to 2.6 in December of 1998. Finally, the majority of parents (82%) were very satisfied with what Head Start had done to help their children and families make the transition to school. Results also indicated that satisfaction with Head Start was stable over the six-month time period measured as the average response (3.8 out of a 4-point scale, with 4.0 representing very satisfied), and did not change from July of 1998 to December of 1998.

Exhibit 4-12

The Readiness of the Head Start Children to Enter Kindergarten2
What percentage of parents felt their children were ready for Kindergarten:	Somewhat Ready	Percentages Very Ready	Average Response Mean SD
Physically	10	86	2.8 (.45)
Academically	24	69	2.7 (1.0)
Socially	7	89	2.9 (.43)

4.4 Summary

Findings from the core and rotated data in the monthly telephone interviews with case study families have contributed to a more complete picture of the amount of change in Head Start families, their resources in terms of family resources, social support, and psychological well-being, and their interactions with Head Start.

Findings indicated that Head Start families cope with change in many critical areas of their families’ lives and deal with these changes multiple times, over time. Specifically, many Head Start families experienced changes in the areas of household composition, employment, income, health, and child care, and most families experienced two or more changes in these areas over the course of the study. Highlights of the findings include:

Household Composition

Many but not most case study families experienced changes in their household composition across all three samples. Most of the changes in household composition happened once over the course of the study. Most of the changes in household composition involved immediate family members moving into the household.

Employment

Most case study families in the seven- and twelve-month samples experienced changes in their employment status, and most experienced changes in their employment status two or more times over the course of the study.
Most families had gains in employment, although 50% or less of the gains involved full-time employment.

Income

Many but not most families in the seven- and twelve-month samples experienced changes in their household income; however, most experienced changes in income two or more times over the course of the study. Most families in these samples experienced gains in household incomes.

Health

Most case study families in the seven- and twelve-month samples experienced physical illnesses in their families and most experienced illnesses two or more times over the course of the study. About one third of the illnesses in these samples were serious enough to require hospitalization.

Child Care

Many but not most of the families in the seven- and twelve-month samples experienced changes in child care arrangements; however, most experienced changes in child care arrangements two or more times over the course of the study. A majority of these families were dependent on child care for their children for more than 20 hours a week.

Findings from family resources, social support and the psychological well-being of Head Start families and parents indicated the critical strengths and needs of Head Start families.

Family Resources

Most families felt their financial resources were able to meet the basic needs of their families, such as food, clothes, and paying monthly bills. Yet, they also reported their financial resources did not always meet less basic needs, such as giving their children all that they wanted, or buying things for themselves.
In terms of quality of life resources, most families indicated they had strong intra-familial supports and resources, such as time with their children and family. However, most Head Start families also reported that they did not have enough personal or interpersonal supports and resources, such as time for themselves, their spouses, close friends, or time to rest.

Psychological Well-Being

Most parents in Head Start families experienced some level of depression at least once during the course of the study.

Social Support

Most families reported some need for each of the three types of social support: intimate, instrumental, informational. The proportion of families indicating a great need for support varied by type of support. Two percent of families reported a great need for informational support or advice about parenting; between 7-10% of families indicated a great need for instrumental support with child care and household tasks, while 19% of families had a great need for intimate social support.
Most case study families had support available to them, if needed. However, the availability of support varied over time for all three types of support.
A majority of families received social support, if needed. Most families had a least one person in their social support network for all three types of support. However, over 30% of families indicated that they had no one to give them instrumental social support or help with household tasks when needed.
Case study families, across all three types of support, most often received support from extended family members. The only exception was with instrumental support or help with household tasks, where spouses or partners were slightly more likely to have given support than extended family members. Head Start staff played a small but substantial supportive role to families in terms of intimate and informational social support.
Most families were very satisfied with the social support they received.

Findings examining families’ interactions with Head Start indicated that most families were involved in Head Start activities and appreciated the help that Head Start had given them in preparing their children for school.

Transitions to Kindergarten

Most case study families felt that their children were very ready for kindergarten - physically, socially and academically. A majority of the Head Start families indicated they were very satisfied with what Head Start had done to help their children and families make the transition to kindergarten.

Involvement in Head Start

A majority of Head Start families were asked to participate in Head Start activities, were able to participate in these activities, and were very satisfied with the Head Start activities in which they had participated.

1Analyses indicated that these samples were not significantly different from the case study sample of Head Start families on basic demographic information including household income, marital status, ethnicity, educational attainment, employment.(back)

2An average response was used for parents who responded in both July and December (n = 21).(back)

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