EARLY HEAD START

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Celeste Riches
11 February 2016
CHILD 230
Early Head Start

History
It took some time for Early Head Start (EHS) to become organized and many events that
preceeded the organization of EHS. It is currently a 21 year old program and is a branch off of
Head Start (Head Start Timeline, 2015). To fully understand the history behind EHS, one must
understand the events prior to make EHS possible. President Johnson declared that Head Start
should be organized in the summer of 1965 (Head Start Timeline, 2015). The Head Start
Timeline (2015) indicated that in 1967 Head Start began offering their services to families who
had children birth to age 3. It was not until 28 years later, in 1995, that EHS was organized
(Head Start Timeline, 2015). When EHS began, it had 68 programs and has since grown to have
708 programs, helping 61,500 children (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006).
EHS was created by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) and is a
federal program to help strengthen low income families by promoting the development of infants
and toddlers (Goldstein & Naglieri, 2010). It involves the community to provide high quality
learning for families and children (Goldstein & Naglieri, 2010). EHS offers a variety of services
to help families with children from birth to age 3. The services include assisting infants, toddlers,
and pregnant women (Head Start Timeline, 2015). EHS has been beneficial for many families as
teachers plan their curriculum meet the needs of parents and children.

EARLY HEAD START

Curriculum
It is through the curriculum at Early Head Start (EHS) that many families have become
stronger. EHS uses the curriculum of Partners for a Healthy Baby and Helping Babies Learn
because they are built on child development ideas, involve parents, and acknowledge different
cultures and backgrounds (Curriculum, 2015). The main focus of EHS curriculum is the childs
development (About Early Head Start, 2016). EHS offers three program options to help fit the
needs of the families. There are center-based services, family child care services, and a
combination of both home and center-based services (About Early Head Start, 2016). These
different options help families understand changing toddlers and lifestyles. The curriculum is
then provided throughout these services. The curriculum helps to not only support infant and
toddler development, but it also focuses on teaching children to have engaging interactions and
relationships with other children and within their families (Curriculum, 2015). EHSs curriculum
fits the guidelines of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (Curriculum, 2015). This
curriculum is very thought out and intentional to parallel the goals and principles EHS has
created.
Parent Involvement
EHS focuses heavily on parent involvement. EHS expects parents to participate and be
involved in the development of their children. They have made many initiatives that reach out
specifically to fathers to help fathers learn their roles and participate in the programs (Head Start
Timeline, 2015). The roles the mother and father play in a childs life is so important to their
development (Head Start Timeline, 2015). In order to help parents understand their roles, EHS
offers educational classes and support groups parents can attend (NAEYC, n.d.). This helps to
build and strengthen the community. Studies have shown because EHS strongly encourages

EARLY HEAD START

parent involvement, EHS parents are more likely to continue education, become more selfsufficient, reduce spanking, and reduce negative stressful influences (Zero to Three, 2014). EHS
has helped in making the different communities a better place because of the aid EHS has
provided for parents.
Teachers Role
EHS teachers are well-trained professionals. They have a large responsibility to help
meet the needs of the individual children (Curriculum, 2015). They can do this as the teachers
follow the goals of providing a safe environment for the children that allows them to develop
appropriately by promoting the different domains of development (About Early Head Start,
2016). One of the perks of EHS is that it has high teachers to children ratios. (Curriculum, 2015).
More specifically, there cannot be more than eight children per two teachers (About Early Head
Start, 2016). The NAEYC (n.d.) has clarified that EHS teachers have the same qualifications as
Head Start teachers. Teachers need to have an associates degree or higher in Early Childhood
Education or a related degree (NAEYC, n.d.). If the teachers do not have a degree they can
receive a certificate from the state, called a CDA- this is not equal to an associates degree in
Child Development (NAEYC, n.d.). Teachers also have ongoing training two times a month
(Olsen). This type of background is necessary to provide children with the best care possible
because the teachers have a strong knowledge about their development in all their domains. It is
the teachers role to support not only the children but their parents as well by setting personal
goals with families to gain competence in different ways (About Early Head Start, 2016). It is
important that the teachers for EHS follow the expectations that have been set in place by the
program in order to provide the highest quality of service for the families they work with.

EARLY HEAD START

Childs Role
As stated before, the curriculum is based to help the child in their development (About
Early Head Start, 2016). The childs role is to learn the curriculum through play and interacting
with other children and their family (Curriculum, 2015). In a fact sheet about EHS from Zero to
Three (2014), they talk about how children who were in EHS were more likely to continue their
learning in a preschool program and they perform better in the different developmental domains.
There have been many other benefits for children who participate in EHS in their development
and in their health (Zero to Three, 2014). The children learn as teachers implement the
curriculum through the play and activities they do together.
Unique Characteristics
EHS is unique due to the fact that is has reached a wide variety of people who come from
low-income families (Head Start Timeline, 2015). As a national program, EHS can be found in
most states across the United States (Goldstein & Naglieri, 2010). Compared to other programs,
EHS has a great deal of parent involvement. Because of the emphasis EHS puts on parent
involvement, the community is then strengthened by the changes that are made within the
families of EHS (Goldstein & Naglieri, 2010). EHS ensures that they are flexible to provide
families with the services that will best help them. EHS takes into consideration if a centerbased, home based, or combination of both is the best approach for a particular family (About
Early Head Start, 2016). Not only is EHS flexible towards the types of programs they offer, but
they help expectant mothers (Head Start Timeline, 2015). This is a unique characteristic to EHS.
Similar to other programs, EHS offers classes to help parents continue their education and/ or
find a job.

EARLY HEAD START

Additional Benefits
As discussed previously, EHS has done a lot for individual children, families, and the
community. An informational article, found on Head Starts webpage, talks about an assortment
of benefits that have come about due to the EHS programs. In the article, it discusses an
evaluation made by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and Columbia University's Center for
Children and Families as they worked together with the Early Head Start Research Consortium
(About Early Head Start, 2016). The study was made up of 3,001 children and families who were
then randomized into groups where half became the control group who did not receive EHS
services and the test group-the other half- received EHS services (About Early Head Start, 2016).
The study found that parents whose children were in EHS were able to have more positive home
environment and parenting than the control group. There was also a large impact for fathers to
become more self-sufficient (About Early Head Start, 2016). By age three the children who
received EHS services scored 1.5 higher on the Bayley Mental Development Index and 2.2
higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (About Early Head Start, 2016). Those parents
whose children received EHS services were reported as having low aggressive behavior, more
emotionally supportive, more likely to read to their children daily, and spanked their children
less, when compared to the control group (About Early Head Start, 2016). It is amazing to see
the leaps and bounds EHS has made in helping to provide a better life for families and their
children. There is no doubt that EHS is a program that will continue to grow and serve others.

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References

About early head start. (2016). Retrieved from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ttasystem/ehsnrc/about-ehs/about.html#about

Curriculum. (2015). Retrieved from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ttasystem/ehsnrc/cde/curriculum
Early head start curriculum - SETA head start. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://headstart.seta.net/early-head-start/curriculum/
Goldstein, S., & Naglieri, J. A. (Eds.). (2010). Encyclopedia of child behavior and development.
New York: Springer Science+Business Media.
NAEYC. (n.d.). Head start | national association for the education of young children. Retrieved
from https://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/headstart
Head start timeline. (2015). Retrieved from http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/50thanniversary/head-start-timeline
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). Early head start benefits children and
families. Retrieved from
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/research_brief_overall.pdf
Zero to Three. (2014). Early head start how many eligible children in poverty does EHS reach?.
Retrieved from
http://www.buildinitiative.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%20%20Early%20Head%20Start%20-%20ZTT.pdf