
Introduction
The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) provides national information about Head Start programs and participants. Data from the study respond to current policy questions and support programs and practitioners working with Head Start families.
This report includes information on the FACES 2019 study design and presents key findings from the study’s spring 2020 data collection. The tables in this report describe the children enrolled in Head Start programs in fall 2019 and spring 2020.
Topics
- Children’s characteristics, family background, and home environment in fall 2019 and spring 2020, and any changes from fall 2019 to spring 2020
- Children’s social-emotional skills in spring 2020, and any changes from fall 2019 to spring 2020
- Children’s physical health and disability status in spring 2020, and any changes from fall 2019 to spring 2020
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to (1) provide information about the FACES study, including the background, design, methodology, assessments, and analytic methods; and (2) report detailed descriptive statistics (averages, response ranges, and percentages) and standard errors (the estimate of the standard deviation of each statistic). The report also describes the changes in planned data collection in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Findings and Highlights
For children’s characteristics, family backgrounds, home environments, and program experiences, the tables show:
- Demographic characteristics (for example, age, race or ethnicity, language(s) spoken in the home, and who lives in the household) as reported in fall 2019 for children who were still enrolled in spring 2020
- Participation in an Early Head Start program serving infants and toddlers and continuity in the current Head Start setting, as reported in fall 2019 for children who were still enrolled in spring 2020
- Parents’ education and employment status as reported in fall 2019, for parents whose children were still enrolled in spring 2020
- Household income as a percentage of federal poverty threshold, as reported in fall 2019 for households with children who were still enrolled in spring 2020
- Parents’ depressive symptoms (such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or restlessness) in spring 2020
- Activities families do with children, how often parents and children read books together, and household bedtime and dinner routines in spring 2020 and fall 2019 to spring 2020 change
- Parents’ child care plans for next year as of spring 2020
- Parents’ participation in and satisfaction with Head Start activities in spring 2020
- Parents’ report of program staff’s culturally responsive practices in spring 2020
For children’s social-emotional skills and physical health and disability status, the tables show:
- Reliability of teacher-reported items that measure children’s social skills, problem behaviors (such as aggression and hyperactivity), and approaches to learning (such as concentration and eagerness to learn) in spring 2020
- Teachers’ report of children’s social skills, problem behaviors, and approaches to learning in spring 2020 and fall 2019 to spring 2020 change
- Teachers’ report of children’s disability status and type, and Individualized Education Program (IEP)/Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) status in spring 2020
- Parents’ report of children’s health status in spring 2020 and fall 2019 to spring 2020 change
The tables provide this information for all Head Start children. For some characteristics, the tables also provide the information by age or Head Start exposure (those who were newly entering Head Start versus those who were returning for a second year in fall 2019).
Methods
The FACES 2019 sample provides information at the national level about Head Start programs, centers, classrooms, and the children and families who participate. We selected a sample of Head Start programs from the 2017—2018 Head Start Program Information Report. The sample included two centers per program and two classrooms per center. Within each classroom, we randomly selected 12 children for the study.
In total, 59 programs, 115 centers, 221 classrooms, and 2,132 children were still study participants in spring 2020. Of these 2,132 children, 1,162 had at least one parent survey completed and at least one of the fall or spring Teacher Child Reports. The study did not conduct direct child assessments or collect assessor ratings data in spring 2020, because FACES cancelled all in-person data collection in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tables provide information from parent surveys and Teacher Child Reports. We weight the data to represent all children who were enrolled in Head Start in fall 2019 and were still enrolled in spring 2020.
Citation
Doran, E., A. Li, N. Aikens, M. Dang, A. Kopack Klein, N. Reid, M. Scott, S. Rakibullah, J. Cannon, J. Harrington, A. Larson, S. Bernstein, L. Tarullo, and L. Malone. “Understanding Head Start Children and Families in Spring 2020: FACES 2019 Descriptive Data Tables and Study Design.” OPRE Report #2022-16. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022.
Glossary
- COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 19:
- An infectious disease that was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a public health emergency by the U.S. in March 2020.
- FACES:
- Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey
- Head Start exposure:
- Length of time in the program, specifically whether children are newly entering Head Start for the first time or returning for a second year.
- Head Start Program Information Report (PIR):
- The PIR provides data on the services, staff, children, and families in Head Start programs. All grantees and delegates must submit a PIR annually.