This compendium compiles summaries of recent studies that represent some of the best knowledge about Head Start’s effectiveness. These findings, including economic analyses, longitudinal studies, and secondary analyses, reveal new long- term impacts of Head Start—not only on Head Start children as adults, but also the intergenerational impacts as those adults have children of their own. Other findings include the effects of Head Start on specific vulnerable populations, reinforcing the program’s mission to serve the most at-risk in each community.
These outcomes shed light on the critical, beneficial role Head Start plays in society in the short and long terms, ultimately pinpointing that the best investment our country can make is in our children.
Highlighted Reports and Research
The reports highlighted in this compendium provide some of the best evidence about the Head Start advantage.
- Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency
University of Michigan Department of Economics | Martha Bailey, Shuqiao Sun, and Brenden Timpe - Head Start’s Long-Run Impact: Evidence from the Program’s Introduction
Williams College Department of Economics | Owen Thompson - Breaking the Cycle? Intergenerational Effects of an Anti-Poverty Program in Early Childhood
Texas A&M University Department of Economics | Andrew Barr
University of Notre Dame Department of Economics | Chloe Gibbs - The Intergenerational Effects of Head Start
Bucknell University | Esra Kose - Migrant Preschool Children’s School Readiness and Early Elementary School Performance
George Mason University Department of Psychology | Tanya Tavassolie, Claudia López, Jessica De Feyter, and Adam Winsler
West Virginia University Child Development and Family Studies | Suzanne C. Hartman - Head Start’s Impact on Socio-Emotional Outcomes for Children Who Have Experienced Violence or Neighborhood Crime
Michigan State University School of Social Work | Kyunghee Lee and Breanne Ludington - Early Care and Education Arrangements and Young Children’s Risk of Foster Placement: Findings from a National Child Welfare Sample
Michigan State University School of Social Work | Sacha Klein and Lauren Fries
Children’s Institute Incorporated | Mary Emmons - Head Start’s Impact on Cognitive Outcomes for Children in Foster Care
Michigan State University School of Social Work | Kyungee Lee
Related Content