Head Start’s impact is contingent on alternative type of care in comparison group.

Abstract

Using data (n = 3,790 with 2,119 in the 3-year-old cohort and 1,671 in the 4-year-old cohort) from 353 Head Start centers in the Head Start Impact Study, the only large-scale randomized experiment in Head Start history, this paper examined the impact of Head Start on children’s cognitive and parent-reported social-behavioral outcomes through first grade contingent on the child care arrangements used by children who were randomly assigned to the control group (i.e., parental care, relative/non-relative care, another Head Start program, or other center-based care). A principal score matching approach was adopted to identify children assigned to Head Start who were similar to children in the control group with a specific care arrangement. Overall, the results showed that the effects of Head Start varied substantially contingent on the alternative child care arrangements. Compared to children in parental care and relative/non-relative care, Head Start participants generally had better cognitive and parent-reported behavioral development, with some benefits of Head Start persisting through first grade; in contrast, few differences were found between Head Start and other center-based care. The results have implications regarding the children for whom Head Start is most beneficial as well as how well Head Start compares to other center-based programs.

Do High-Quality Kindergarten and First-Grade Classrooms Mitigate Preschool Fadeout?

“…Several recent studies have examined how the estimated end-of-treatment impacts of Head Start vary depending on the comparison group using the HSIS, and find indeed that the main end of treatment effect for Head Start is strongest when compared with children in the control group who attended home-based care, with few to no differences compared with center-based care (Feller, Grindal, Miratrix, & Page, 2016; Kline & Walters, 2016; Walters, 2015; Zhai, Brooks-Gunn, & Waldfogel, 2014). Bloom and Weiland (2015) find substantial heterogeneity in Head Start treatment impacts by program site, with centers ranging from much more to much less effective than their local alternatives, including parent care.…”

Compared to what? Variation in the impacts of early childhood education by alternative care type

“…Using a matching approach, Zhai et al (2014) find significant effects of Head Start compared to parent care and relative/nonrelative care but find no meaningful differences in outcomes between Head Start and other center-based care. Using variation across sites, Walters (2015) finds that impacts are smaller for Head Start centers that draw more children from other center-based programs rather than from home-based care.…”

“…5 This approach improves on simpler versions of this model fit by Walters (2015) and Zhai et al (2014). Walters (2015) effectively estimates the share of Center-based Compliers and Home-based Compliers for each Head Start center, doing so via two separate logistic regressions, rather than via multinomial logistic regression.…”

“…Walters (2015) effectively estimates the share of Center-based Compliers and Home-based Compliers for each Head Start center, doing so via two separate logistic regressions, rather than via multinomial logistic regression. Zhai et al (2014) estimate a multinomial logistic regression using covariates to predict D(0) rather than stratum membership, therefore conflating Always Center-based children and Center Compliers under control and conflating Always Homebased children and Home Compliers under control.…”

Participating in Nurse-Family Partnership Gives Teenage Mothers High School Credit

“…A study by Zhai et al [14] using data from the National Head Start Impact Study found children in the program had greater cognitive and behavioral development compared with their peers who were not in the program. Another study using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort comparing children enrolled in Head Start and those in parental or nonparental childcare found children in the program had greater school readiness, as indicated by higher early reading and math scores [15].…”