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Building their futures: How Early Head Start programs are enhancing the lives of infants and toddlers in low-income families: Summary report
United States. Administration for Children and Families, 2001
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A summary of findings from the interim report of the random assignment, impact evaluation of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project.

Executive Summary

Early Head Start children in grade 5: Long-term followup of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project study sample: Final report [Executive summary]
United States. Administration for Children and Families. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, December 2010
(OPRE 2011-8). Washington, DC: U.S. Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.

A summary of a study of the impact of Early Head Start participation and of the influence of children's preschool and later school experiences on parenting, family well-being, and children's academic and socioemotional outcomes in grade 5, based on a longitudinal follow-up of participants in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project

Executive Summary

Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project
United States. Administration for Children and Families,
Education Resources Information Center

This project involves both a cross-site national study and local longitudinal studies of low-income families with young children in Early Head Start sites in 17 communities in the United States. The project was funded in two waves: Birth to Three (1996-2001) and Pre-Kindergarten Follow-Up (2001-2004). The five major components of the project are: an implementation study, an impact evaluation, local research studies, policy studies, and efforts toward continuous program improvement. The implementation study assessed the level and quality of implementation of EHS at each site, as well as variations across sites, with regard to five program areas: child development and health care; family partnerships; community involvement and partnerships; staff development; and program management. Results include a profile of each of the 17 research programs, their services and expected outcomes. The information gathered was critical for the development of the impact evaluation analyses and the identification of pathways to full implementation. The impact evaluation followed a random assignment, longitudinal design to examine how child, parent and family outcomes were influenced by EHS programs, as well as by variations in program approaches and community contexts, program implementation and services, and the characteristics of children and their families. The third component involves 16 local research projects conducted by 15 university-based researchers who partnered with Early Head Start research programs. Designed to investigate the unique outcomes and program functions of each Early Head Start program, these longitudinal studies continue through the second phase of the project, Pre-Kindergarten Follow-up (2001-2004). The policy studies component focuses on issues related to welfare reform, health and disabilities, child-care and fatherhood. The component of continuous program improvement consists of reports and presentations disseminating new information that can help all Early Head Start programs to increase their ability to meet the needs of families.

Major Research Projects

Family subgroups and impacts at ages 2, 3, and 5: Variability by race/ethnicity and demographic risk
Raikes, Helen, February, 2013
Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 78(1), 64-92

A study of variations by race, ethnicity, and risk indicators of the impact of Early Head Start on child and family outcomes, including children's socioemotional and cognitive development and families' well-being and home environments, based on data for randomly-assigned low income families collected when children were 2, 3, and 5 years old

Reports & Papers

Learning as we go: A first snapshot of Early Head Start programs, staff, families, and children: Vol. I. First report
United States. Administration for Children and Families. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, February, 2011
(OPRE 2011-7). Washington, DC: U.S. Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.

A profile of the characteristics of Early Head Start children and families, their home and Early Head Start program environments, and program services and staff in spring 2009, based on data collected from a nationally representative sample of 89 Early Head Start programs and 976 parents of 194 newborns and 782 1-year-olds, as part of the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, or Baby FACES

Reports & Papers

Low-income fathers' involvement in their toddlers' lives: Biological fathers from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Study
Cabrera, Natasha J., 2004
Fathering, 2(1), 5-30

An investigation into the influence of fathers’ involvement on children’s outcomes, based on a sample of 1,550 mothers from the Early Head Start (EHS) Research and Evaluation Project, and 597 fathers from the Father Involvement with Toddlers Study (FITS)

Reports & Papers

Making a difference in the lives of infants and toddlers and their families: The impacts of Early Head Start: Vol. I. Final technical report
United States. Administration for Children and Families, 2002
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A report of the findings from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project, a large-scale, random-assignment evaluation of the impact of Early Head Start programs on the development of infants and toddlers, and the parenting and family development of low-income families across the US

Reports & Papers

Ready to Learn workshop participation: Short-term impacts: Final report
Johnson, Amy W., December 23, 2003
Alexandria, VA: Public Broadcasting Service.

An experimental, random assignment component of the comprehensive evaluation of Ready to Learn--a program in which Public Broadcasting Service member stations broadcast a mandated number of hours of children's programming and coordinators at each station engage in outreach activities (including parent and early childhood educator workshops) to facilitate the use of this programming as an educational tool--that focused on the short-term impacts of outreach activities on parents' and early childhood educators' behaviors, based on comparing assessments of workshop participants and nonparticipants

Reports & Papers

Understanding fathering: The Early Head Start study of fathers of newborns
Vogel, Cheri, 2003
Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research.

A study of the involvement of low-income fathers in the development of their birth to 14 month-old children, based on a sample of 108 fathers in 10 states

Reports & Papers

Using television as a teaching tool: The impacts of Ready to Learn workshops on parents, educators, and children in their care: Final report
Boller, Kimberley, June 14, 2004
Alexandria, VA: Public Broadcasting Service.

An experimental, random assignment component of the comprehensive evaluation of Ready to Learn--a program in which Public Broadcasting Service member stations broadcast a mandated number of hours of children's programming and coordinators at each station engage in outreach activities (including parent and early childhood educator workshops) to facilitate the use of this programming as an educational tool--that focused on the short- and long-term impacts of outreach activities on parents' and early childhood educators' behaviors and on children's school readiness, based on comparing assessments of workshop participants and nonparticipants

Reports & Papers