Six Lessons Learned about Engaging Families in Head Start’s Family Support Services

Publication Date: January 17, 2025
Six Lessons Learned about Engaging Families in Head Start’s Family Support Services

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Introduction

Research Questions

  1. How did Head Start programs participating in the Head Start Connects case studies engage families in family support services?

Head Start uses a whole-family approach—that is, a philosophy supporting children’s health, development, and school readiness, as well as their families’ physical and mental health, housing, and financial stability—by providing a comprehensive, integrated set of support services tailored to meet the individual needs of parents and families. 

To better understand how Head Start programs coordinate the provision of support services, the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation engaged MDRC and its partners—NORC at the University of Chicago and MEF Associates—to conduct Head Start Connects: Individualizing and Connecting Families to Comprehensive Support Services. The project aims to gather information on the strategies, processes, and practices programs use to coordinate family support services so that service coordination is aligned with individual family needs and fosters family well-being. 

This brief describes lessons learned from case studies of Head Start programs. 

Purpose

This brief describes lessons learned about how Head Start programs participating in the Head Start Connects case studies engaged families in family support services.

Key Findings and Highlights

Below are six lessons about how Head Start programs engage families in family support services:  

  • Recruitment and enrollment into Head Start was an important time for parents to learn about family support services and to begin building trust with Head Start staff members. 

  • Building rapport and relationships with parents was key to getting families identified supports. 

  • Family support workers used a variety of strategies to build relationships with parents. 

  • Family support workers were extremely dedicated, even going beyond their formal job requirements. 

  • Despite family support workers’ efforts, not all parents were able to fully participate in family support services. 

  • Parents valued their relationship with their family support worker. 

Overall, family support workers’ everyday interactions with families are key touchpoints for actively engaging families in family support services. To further strengthen this engagement in services, family support workers can focus on building trusting, supportive relationships that are mindful of the challenges that families may face. Head Start programs may consider providing additional staff wellness activities and reflective supervision to family support workers so they can fully engage in the essential work of supporting families. 

Methods

The information presented in this brief come from a set of case studies conducted in six Head Start programs as part of Head Start Connects. The programs differed in terms of which Head Start region they were located in; their urban, suburban, or rural character; program size and type; and population served. Across the six sites, researchers interviewed 30 Head Start staff members including program directors, family support services staff members, and other staff members such as teachers, 18 parents, and 7 community service providers.   

Citation

Strassberger, Marissa. 2024. “Six Lessons Learned About Engaging Families in Head Start’s Family Support Services.” OPRE Report 2024-381. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Glossary

Parent:
refers to the adult/parent/guardian in a child’s home. 
Program:
refers to all the centers that a grantee or delegate agency (a public agency, private nonprofit or for-profit organization, tribal government, or school system that receives grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, to run Head Start, Early Head Start, and Migrant/Seasonal Head Start programs) oversees to provide Head Start services to children and families.
Center:
refers to the facility that houses Head Start services at a single location. A Head Start program may provide oversight over multiple centers.
Site:
refers to the six Head Start programs that participated in the case studies.
Family support worker:
refers to the Head Start staff members who have primary responsibility within a Head Start program or center for coordinating family support services. Case study sites used varying terms for the “family support worker” position, including family service advocate, family support staff, family advocate, family support coordinator, family support specialist, and family empowerment specialist.
Family support services:
refers to services that may be provided by Head Start programs, their grantees or delegates, or community providers. These services may include education and employment services, financial capability services, housing and food assistance, emergency or crisis intervention services, substance use treatment, physical health services (such as tobacco cessation, nutrition, or other services to maintain and promote physical health and well-being), and mental health services.
Coordination:
refers to the process through which Head Start staff members work with families and with other organizations and staff in the community to connect families to services. Coordinating family support services takes place through a series of activities: - Recruiting and enrolling - Building relationships - Conducting intake, completing strengths and needs assessments, setting goals, and creating individualized plans - Connecting families to services (including making referrals) and helping them overcome barriers to access services - Following up and measuring service receipt Head Start staff members also coordinate family support services through their work with other organizations and staff members in the community. Head Start staff members learn about resources in the community, establish formal and informal partnerships with community providers, and work together with community providers to serve their mutual clients.