The 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs

2021 - 2024

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Project Overview 

Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of young children ages 3 to 5 from low-income and other eligible families. In 2021, a study was launched to provide descriptive information about the characteristics, experiences, well-being, and needs of Head Start children, families, programs, and staff: the 2021—2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs (the 2021—2022 Study)

The 2021—2022 study is designed to answer a wide range of research questions crucial for aiding program directors and policymakers. The 2021—2022 study aims to describe:

  • the children and families who participate in Head Start—families’ resources and needs, parents’ mental well-being, and children’s cognitive and social-emotional skills as reported by parents and teachers; 
  • the changes or trends in those characteristics over time, including since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • the factors or characteristics that might explain differences in children’s skills and development and family experiences;
  • the characteristics and mental well-being of Head Start teachers;
  • staff recruitment and retention, including staff compensation and benefits; and
  • the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on program operations and emergency preparedness. 

The 2021-2022 study gathered data during Fall 2021 from three sources: a survey of children’s parents, a survey of children’s teachers, and a teacher child report (TCR) survey. It gathered data during Spring 2022 from these same three sources plus two additional sources: a survey of program directors and a survey of center directors, in which staff answered questions about their program or center and about themselves.

The 2021—2022 study builds on a previous study, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2019. The motivation and goals of the 2021-2022 study came from a need to learn about how children, families, and Head Start staff were faring in the year following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of the 2021—2022 study, including the sampling plan, instruments, procedures, and data analysis plans, drew heavily from the design of FACES 2019. However, the 2021—2022 study featured changes to more fully capture data on emerging policy issues and staff and family well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also enhanced its focus on several areas, including families’ experiences with Head Start, the intersection of Head Start with other early care and education (ECE) systems, families’ economic conditions, and classroom instruction.

Although the 2021—2022 study includes data from a large multistage sample of Head Start programs, centers, teachers, and families from across the U.S., participation and response rates were lower than expected, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic which continued to be a national health emergency. As a result, some of the data that resulted from this study are not nationally representative. Instead, data provide a window into the experiences of a sample of Head Start programs, staff, children, and families who were able to participate in data collection during this difficult time. 

The 2021-2022 study is conducted through a contract to Mathematica.

Data are archived at the Child and Family Data Archive   Visit disclaimer page . 

Point(s) of contact: Nina Philipsen, Alysia Blandon, Laura Hoard, Jackie Gross, Brian Tchen, and Casey Gunn. 

This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov under the title The 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start FACES Programs   Visit disclaimer page . 

Information collections related to this project have been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under OMB #0970-0151. Related materials are available on at the FACES Information collection page on RegInfo.gov   Visit disclaimer page.

Related Resources

Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This brief examines the challenges Head Start children and their families faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the types of support they received or needed, and how both were associated with their well-being.

This brief draws on data from the 2021—2022 Study to examine the strategies programs used to improve staff retention and well-being.

This data user’s guide supports researchers conducting secondary analyses with the 2021—2022 Head Start study data.

Staff Experiences in Head Start FACES Programs, Centers, and Classrooms in Spring 2022: The 2021—2022 Study

This report includes information on the design and methodology of the 2021—2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs (the 2021—2022 Study) and presents key findings from the study’s spring 2022 data collection on Head Start children and families. 

This brief explores Head Start teachers’ health, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, stress, and job satisfaction; the supports programs offered and the ones teachers used; and the associations between teachers’ well-being and those supports. It draws on data collected in fall 2021 and spring 2022 from the 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start FACES Programs (the 2021-2022 Study), after nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The tables in this report describe the children enrolled in the FACES 2021—2022 Study, their family backgrounds and home environments, as well as study methodology, sample, and analytic methods.