National Evaluation of the Early Head Start Program: Ongoing Analyses
In 1995, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families launched an entirely new program, Early Head Start, by expanding Head Start services to infants and toddlers. In collaboration with policy researchers at Mathematica Policy Research, the Center conducted an evaluation of 17 Early Head Start programs from 15 states, with 2,800 families divided between the Early Head Start and control groups. The aim was to examine how Early Head Start serves the needs of low-income families and their infants and toddlers, and to identify the impact of these programs on staff as well as on the larger community. Children and their families were assessed at 14 months, 24 months, 36 months, 5 years, and fifth grade. At each wave, NCCF coded videos of children interacting with their mothers (and, in a separate substudy, fathers).
Ongoing analyses focus on program impacts over time, dosage effects, children’s sleep behaviors, and the joint effects of maternal and paternal parenting.
Funding Source: Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Partnership for America’s Economic Success.
Contact: Anne Martin, Dr.P.H.
Three-Bag Videotaped Interaction Scales