Beacon of Hope: The Promise of Early Head Start for America's Youngest Children
Since 1995, Early Head Start (EHS) has grown from 68 to more than
700 programs nationwide serving more than 62,000 children and
securing the program's reputation as a beacon of hope for the
nation's low-income families with infants and toddlers.
According to a comprehensive national evaluation of EHS, children
who participated in the program *Scored higher on standardized
measures of cognitive and language development, *Exhibit greater
engagement with their parents during play, and *Are less likely to
engage in aggressive behavior than children who did not
participate. Additionally, program parents *Are more emotionally
supportive and less detached, *Are more likely to read to their
child every day, *Report spanking their children less frequently,
and *Are more likely to seek out education and job-training
activities than parents who did not participate in the program.
This volume provides a glimpse into the successes, the challenges,
and the potential of EHS.
