Head Start FACES (1997): Longitudinal Findings on Program Performance, Third Progress Report

Publication Date: January 15, 2001
Current as of:

Introduction

As the nation’s premier early childhood education program, Head Start is leading the way in accountability for program out-comes and services to more than 800,000 young children and their families each year. New findings from a study of 3,200 children and families show that Head Start narrows the gap between disadvantaged students and all other children in key components of school readiness. Students in the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), who entered Head Start in Fall 1997 in a national random sample of Head Start programs, began the year at a great disadvantage compared to other children. This was shown by their own scores on standard tests of cognitive skills, family poverty, and low levels of parental education.