Head Start's Interaction with Federal, State, and Local Systems. Research Brief. OPRE Report 2022-12

N

13

HHSP233201500035I/HHSP23337024T

Policymakers

Low Income Students; Social Services; Federal Programs; Early Childhood Education; Child Care; Access to Education; Educational Quality; State Programs; Standards; State Regulation; Early Intervention; Children; Experience; Preschool Education; Surveys; Family (Sociological Unit); Educational Finance; Program Evaluation; Child Care Centers; State Aid; Federal Aid; Instructional Materials; Faculty Development; Money Management; Program Administration; Preschool Teachers

Head Start is an essential part of the programs and funding streams that provide early care and education (ECE) services to young children in the U.S. Head Start focuses on supporting children and families with low incomes, but also contributes to the broader effort to expand access to high quality ECE for all young children. Programs and initiatives at the federal and state levels include incentives to expand access to high quality care to all children. The number and range of programs and initiatives, however, and the expectations that come with them, make the ECE service landscape a complicated one for providers to navigate. In addition to the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS), Head Start programs or centers can be subject to other state regulations or program standards. This brief provides information from spring 2020, from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2019 about how Head Start programs interact with other systems that support ECE. The findings can help policymakers and others who are working to strengthen alignment, coordination, and collaboration across the ECE system to better serve children and families.

ERIC

2022

ED622889