| Title: |
Changes in Early Head Start Services, Staff, and Participating Families over Time: 2018-2022. OPRE Report 2024-345 |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Cassandra Baxter; Yange Xue; Anna Beckham; Brandan Pierce; Administration for Children and Families (DHHS), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE); Mathematica |
| Source: |
Administration for Children & Families. 2024. |
| Availability: |
Administration for Children & Families. US Department of Health and Human Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW, Washington, DC 20447. Web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
N |
| Page Count: |
15 |
| Publication Date: |
2024 |
| Contract Number: |
HHSP233201500071I; 75N98022F00287 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data |
| Education Level: |
Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education |
| Descriptors: |
Social Services; Early Intervention; Federal Programs; COVID-19; Pandemics; Change; Children; Experience; Family (Sociological Unit); Surveys; Preschool Education; Participation; Family Characteristics; Early Childhood Teachers; Teacher Characteristics; Child Care Centers; Home Programs; Family School Relationship; Family Income; Special Needs Students; Depression (Psychology); Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teacher Student Relationship; Professional Development; Educational Quality |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: |
Early Head Start |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: |
Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey |
| Abstract: |
Early Head Start (EHS) programs provide a comprehensive array of two-generation, family-centered services to infants, toddlers, pregnant people, and their families. These include child development services, child care, parenting education, case management, health care and referrals, and other family support services. EHS provides comprehensive services through center-based, family child care, and home-based (home visiting) program options to strengthen the parent-child relationship; support children's health, learning, and development; and facilitate family self-sufficiency. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of children and families as well as the delivery of early childhood services, including those provided by EHS. The pandemic shifted and deepened the challenges EHS families and staff face. It also strained early care and education programs and brought lasting staff shortages. EHS programs met these challenges by finding creative ways to support and communicate with participating families during closures and the reopening phase. To better understand how EHS programs changed over time, potentially because of the pandemic and programs' response to the pandemic, these analyses examined changes in center- and home-based services, staff, and participating families from 2018 to 2022. The analysis was based on nationally representative samples of EHS programs, centers, home visitors, classrooms, teachers, and participating families and children from the 2018 and 2022 cohorts of the EHS Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES). |
| Abstractor: |
ERIC |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
ED673844 |
| Database: |
ERIC |