This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cebc4cw.org/
This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cebc4cw.org/
Note: The Early Head Start program declined to participate in the CEBC review process. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources (websites, articles, etc.).
Scientific Rating:
3
Promising Research Evidence
See scale of 1-5
Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
2
Medium
See scale of 1-3
Child Welfare Outcomes: Safety and Well-Being
Brief Description:
Early Head Start (EHS) has been rated by the CEBC in the area of Home Visiting. Early Head Start (EHS) is a federally funded early childhood development program aimed at low-income families. Children and families enrolled in center-based programs receive comprehensive child development services in a center-based setting, supplemented with home visits by the child's teacher and other EHS staff. In home-based settings, children and their families are supported through weekly home visits and bi-monthly group socialization experiences. EHS also serves children through locally designed family child care options, in which certified child care providers care for children in their homes. Services include: early education both in and out of the home; parenting education; comprehensive health and mental health services for mothers and children; nutrition education; and family support services.
Manual and Training section:
The publicly available information indicates that there is a manual and some training available for the Early Head Start program, please contact Laura Annuziata, Senior Training Specialist at 202-638-1144. The Early Head Start National Resource Center at Zero to Three provides on-line information for grantees regarding implementation of the program here. Management Organizations wishing to implement and Early Head Start Program must obtain a grant from their regional Early Head Start Office: http://www.ehsnrc.org/liaisons.htm.
Relevant Research:
Early Head Start is rated a "3-Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. For more information on the rating of a "3 - Promising Research Evidence," please see the Scientific Rating Scale.
Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, Raikes, H., Constantin, J., Boller, K. et al. (2005). The effectiveness of Early Head Start for 3-year-old children and their parents: Lessons for policy and programs. Developmental Psychology, 41(6), 885-901.
Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: 3,001 families
Population:
Location/Institution: National
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Families were recruited using normal procedures by 17 Early Head Start (EHS) Programs in all regions of the country. Families were then randomly assigned to EHS or to a control group who received no EHS services, but had access to other community services. Children's cognitive and language development was measured by the Mental Development Index (MDI) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPV-III). Social and emotional development was measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and an observation of parent-child interaction in a play task. Child health was evaluated using parent responses to the National Health Interview Survey. Parenting measures included the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), which includes assessments of parental supportiveness, parent detachment, reading with children, and physical punishment. Analyses showed that, by 3 years of age, EHS children performed better in cognitive and language development, showed higher engagement with the parent in the play activity and more sustained attention than did controls. Parents in the EHS programs were more emotionally supportive, provided more learning and language opportunities, read to their children more and spanked less. The strongest effects were found for those programs that provided a mix of home-visiting and center-based services.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None
Chazan-Cohen, R., Ayoub, C., Pan, B. A., Roggman, L., Raikes, H., Mckelvey, L. et al. (2007). It takes time: Impacts of Early Head Start that lead to reductions in maternal depression two years later. Infant Mental Health Journal, 28(2), 151-170.
Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: 3,000 families
Population:
Location/Institution: National
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Note: This study uses the same sample as the Love et al. (2005) study. Families were randomly assigned to be enrolled in and Early Head Start (EHS) program or to a control group. Maternal depression was assessed at the beginning of the study, when children were between 14 and 36 months old, using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). They were reassessed at 14 months, 36 months, and when their child entered kindergarten. Children's cognitive and language development was measured by the Mental Development Index (MDI) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPV-III). Social and emotional development was measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and an observation of parent-child interaction in a play task. Child health was evaluated using parent responses to the National Health Interview Survey. Parenting measures included the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), which includes assessments of parental supportiveness, parent detachment, reading with children and physical punishment. Family well-being was measured at ages 2 and 3 using two subscale from the Parenting Stress Index. Analysis showed that a number of factors affected by attending an EHS program had a delayed effect in reducing maternal depression for those families. The most important family mediators seemed to be reduction in parental distress and reduction in spanking. The major child mediators were reduction in aggressive behavior and higher cognitive development.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 2 years
Roggman, L. A., Boyce, L. K., Cook, G. A., Christiansen, K., & Jones,D. (2004). Playing with Daddy: Social toy play, Early Head Start, and developmental outcomes. Fathering, 2(1), 83-108
Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: 74 families
Population:
Location/Institution: Rural Utah
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Note: This sample is a subset of the National Sample used in Love, et al (2005). Participants in this study were fathers of families who had been randomly assigned to either the Early Head Start (EHS) program or to a control group. Parent-toddler social toy play was coded on rating scale designed for this study. The scale rated complexity of shared toy interactions on a scale of 1 to 7, with lower scores indicating few verbal or toy-related interactions during play and higher scores indicating more complex sequences in which there is more continuous conversation and sharing. Researchers also coded parent supportiveness of play, parent sensitivity, cognitive stimulation and positive regard for the child. The child's cognitive development was assessed at 14, 24, and 36 months using age-appropriate items on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II). The child's emotional regulation was measured with the Behavior Rating Scales of the BSID-II. The father's psychosocial well-being was measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Parenting Stress Index. Researchers also assessed family conflict with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results showed that EHS father engaged in more complex play at 24 months. Greater complexity of father-toddler social play predicted better cognitive and social outcomes for children, and this correlation was stronger in the EHS group. Statistical analysis showed that depression was correlated with lower play scores and that participation in the EHS reduced the influence of this factor.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None
References:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002, June). Making a difference in the lives of infants and toddlers and their families: The impacts of Early Head Start. Retrieved on August 31, 2009, from the World Wide Web: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/ehsfinalsumm.pdf.
Fenichel, E., & Mann, T. L. (2001). Early Head Start for low-income families with infants and toddlers. The Future of Children, 11(1), 134-141.
Contact Information
Affiliation/Agency: Early Head Start National Resource Center @ Zero to Three
Phone: 202-638-0581
E-mail: ehsnrcinfo@zerotothree.org
Website: www.ehsnrc.org
Date review compiled: April 2008