Early Head Start (EHS)

Infants and toddlers under the age of 3, and pregnant women

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.

• Agency/Affiliation: Headstart.gov
• Website: https://headstart.gov/programs/article/early-head-start-programs

Publicly available information indicates there is some training available for this program. See contact info.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Child/Family Well-Being, Safety

"What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?"

• 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. https:/doi.org/10.3149/fth.0201.83

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 74 father-toddler dyads

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Children: 14–36 months; Parents: Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 97% White
  • Gender — Children: Not specified; Parents: 100% Male
  • Status —

    Participants were low-income families.

  Location/Institution: Rural Utah

  Summary:

  The study used the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to examine father-toddler social toy play in relation to Early Head Start (EHS) program enrollment, fathers’ psychosocial well-being, and children’s developmental outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to either the EHS program or to a services-as-usual control group. Measures utilized include the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II), the Behavior Rating Scales of the BSID-II, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Parenting Stress Index, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results indicate that EHS fathers 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 EHS reduced the influence of this factor. Limitations include selection bias, lack of generalizability due to gender and ethnicity, only a subset of the original sample was used, and lack of follow-up.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

• Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, C., Raikes, H., Constantine, J., Boller, K., Brooks-Gunn, J., Chazan-Cohen, R., Tarullo, L. B., Brady-Smith, C., Fuligni, A. S., Schochet, P. Z., Paulsell, D., & Vogel, C. (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. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.41.6.885

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 3,001 families

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Children: 0–5+ years; Parents: Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 37% White, 34% African American, 24% Hispanic, and 5% Other
  • Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female; Parents: 100% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were families eligible to enroll in Head Start.

  Location/Institution: Seventeen Early Head Start research programs in the United States

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Early Head Start (EHS) program. Participants were randomly assigned to EHS or to a services-as-usual control group. Measures utilized include the Mental Development Index (MDI), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPV-III), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the National Health Interview Survey, and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). Results indicate 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. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to gender, reliability of self-reported measures, and lack of follow-up.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

• Chazan‐Cohen, R., Ayoub, C., Pan, B. A., Roggman, L., Raikes, H., McKelvey, L., Whiteside-Mansell, L., & Hart, A. (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. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20127

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 3,000 families

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Children: 5 years; Parents: Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 37% White, 34% African American, 24% Hispanic, and 5% Other
  • Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female; Parents: 100% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were families eligible to enroll in Head Start.

  Location/Institution: Seventeen Early Head Start research programs in the United States

  Summary:

  The study used the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to present findings from a follow-up study in the spring prior to children entering kindergarten when a positive program impact emerged for reducing maternal depression. Participants were randomly assigned to be enrolled in an Early Head Start (EHS) program or to a services-as-usual control group. Measures utilized include the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Mental Development Index (MDI), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPV-III), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the National Health Interview Survey, the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), and the Parenting Stress Index. Results indicate 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. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to gender, reliability of self-reported measures, small sample size due to attrition, and missing data.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 2 years.

• Ayoub, C., O'Connor, E., Rappolt-Schlictmann, G., Vallotton, C., Raikes, H., & Chazan-Cohen, R. (2009). Cognitive skill performance among young children living in poverty: Risk, change, and the promotive effects of Early Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(3), 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.04.001

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 2,764

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Children: 1–3 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: 43% Caucasian, 34% African American, and 23% Hispanic
  • Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were mothers and toddlers eligible to enroll in Head Start.

  Location/Institution: Seventeen Early Head Start (EHS) program sites in sixteen states across the United States

  Summary:

  The study used the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to examine associations between risk factors and the protective and/or promotive effects of Early Head Start (EHS) on children’s cognitive skill performance compared to a national sample. Participants were randomly assigned to be enrolled in an EHS program or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Mental Development Index subscale of the Bayley Scale of Infant Development-II (BSID-II), the emotionality scale of the Buss and Plomin Emotionality, Adaptability, and Sociability Inventory (EASI-II), and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). Results indicate that children who were enrolled in EHS had higher cognitive skill scores at three years of age than their peers who were not in EHS. Limitations include EHS program effects may be underestimated, only a subset of the original sample was used, and lack of follow-up.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

• Green, B. L., Ayoub, C., Bartlett, J. D., Von Ende, A., Furrer, C., Chazan-Cohen, R., Vallotton, C., & Klevens, J. (2014). The effect of Early Head Start on child welfare system involvement: A first look at longitudinal child maltreatment outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 42, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.044

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 1,247

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Children: Mean=11.6–14.3 years; Parents: Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 45% Caucasian, 31% Hispanic, 19% African American, and 4% Other
  • Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female; Parents: 99% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were mothers and toddlers eligible to enroll in Head Start.

  Location/Institution: Seven Early Head Start program sites in six states across the United States

  Summary:

  The study used the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to use administrative data from state child welfare agencies to examine the impact of Early Head Start (EHS) on documented abuse and neglect among children from seven of the original seventeen programs in the national EHS randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to be enrolled in an EHS program or to a services-as-usual control group. Measures utilized include the Mental Development Index subscale of the Bayley Scale of Infant Development-II (BSID-II), the emotionality scale of the Buss and Plomin Emotionality, Adaptability, and Sociability Inventory (EASI-II), and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). Results indicate that children in EHS had significantly fewer child welfare encounters between the ages of five and nine years than did children in the control group, and that EHS slowed the rate of subsequent encounters. Additionally, compared to children in the control group, children in EHS were less likely to have a substantiated report of physical or sexual abuse, but more likely to have a substantiated report of neglect. Limitations include possible missing data, sample size, only a subset of the original sample was used, and attrition.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 10 years.

• 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. Executive Summary. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/impacts_execsum.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.