Head Start’s Interaction with Federal, State, and Local Systems

Publication Date: April 5, 2022
The first page of the brief, entitled "Head Start’s Interaction with Federal, State, and Local Systems"

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Introduction

Research Questions

  1. How much involvement do Head Start programs have with state licensing and quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs)?
  2. How many Head Start programs receive funding from other federal, state, and local government sources or from private sources (such as foundations and parent tuition payments)?
  3. How many Head Start programs receive funding from other federal, state, and local government sources or from private sources (such as foundations and parent tuition payments)?

This research brief uses nationally representative data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2019) to understand how Head Start programs interact with other systems that support early care and education (ECE). The findings can help policymakers and others who are working to strengthen alignment, coordination, and collaboration across the ECE system to better serve children and families.

Purpose

The purpose of this brief to explore Head Start programs’ interaction with other systems such as licensing, QRISs, as well as with non-Head Start sources of funding like state and local pre-K.

Key Findings and Highlights

  • Most Head Start programs have some interaction with state licensing and quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs).
    • Most Head Start programs (89 percent) report that some or all of their centers are required to have a license to operate.
    • Most programs (87 percent) report that some or all of their centers participate in the state or local QRIS.
    • About one-quarter of the programs that have centers participating in a QRIS received their initial rating automatically or through an alternative pathway (that is, they met the standards to receive their rating without going through the full rating process).
  • Most Head Start programs (94 percent) receive funding from other sources in addition to Head Start.
    • Most programs (80 percent of all programs) receive federal funding from sources such as Title I and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
    • For over two-thirds of all programs, additional funding comes from state or local pre-K funds.
    • About half of all programs receive non-Head Start funding that requires them to meet other standards or other guidelines.
  • Many programs serve individual children whose participation is supported by other sources of funding in addition to Head Start funding.
    • A majority of all programs (57 percent) serve individual children whose participation is funded by both Head Start and state or local pre-K funds.
    • More than one-third of all programs serve individual children whose participation is funded by Head Start and child care subsidies.
  • To support the use of these various funding streams, all programs have dedicated financial management staff, and over two-thirds of program directors have training in financial management.

Methods

FACES provides information at the national level about Head Start programs, centers, and classrooms, and the children and families they serve. We selected a sample of Head Start programs from the 2017—2018 Head Start Program Information Report, with two centers per program. In spring 2020, 165 programs and 318 centers participated, with 126 program directors and 191 center directors completing surveys. Survey data from program or center directors are weighted to represent all Head Start programs or centers, respectively.

Appendix

Appendix

File TypeFile NameFile Size
PDFHead Start’s Interaction with Federal, State, and Local Systems: Appendix610.37 KB

Citation

Bernstein, S., N. Reid, J. Harrington, and L. Malone. “Head Start’s Interaction with Federal, State, and Local Systems”. OPRE Report #2022-12. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 2022.

Glossary

FACES:
Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey