Early Childhood Topics

• Head Start/Early Head Start
• Early Care & Education Settings
• Home Visiting
• Early Childhood Education Practices
• Studying Children in a Multicultural Society
• Clients

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Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey

Early Head Start programs are comprehensive, two-generation efforts that focus on enhancing children's development while strengthening families. Designed for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers up to age three, the programs provide a wide range of services through multiple strategies. Offerings include child development services delivered in home visits or child care settings, as well as case management, parenting education, health care and referrals, and family support.

Mathematica's six-year descriptive study of Early Head Start builds on the success of Head Start’s flagship study, the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES). The Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) is designed to be a rich source of data describing the experiences of children and their families in Early Head Start. Important data sources are direct child assessment and videotaped parent-child interactions at ages two and three; interviews with parents, teachers, home visitors, and program directors; observations of the home environment, home visits, and child care settings; and ongoing reports of program services families and children receive.

The study's main goals are to:

• Provide descriptive information about Early Head Start services offered, their frequency, and their intensity
• Identify key characteristics of families served in Early Head Start
• Investigate how programs individualize services to meet family needs
• Learn how Early Head Start children and families fare over time
• Explore associations between the type and quality of Early Head Start services and child and family well-being

Mathematica identified a representative sample of 89 Early Head Start programs with two cohorts of children (and their families) in each program: (1) newborns, and (2) a group of infants approximately one year old. Data were collected annually, in the spring, until the sample children reached three years of age or left the program.

Mathematica's partners in the study are Branch Associates, Brenda Jones Harden, Judith Jerald, and Twin Peaks Partners, LLC. In addition, a large number of early childhood development and measurement experts serve as consultants.

Publications

"Resources for Measuring Services and Outcomes in Head Start Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers" (April 2011)
"Learning As We Go: A First Snapshot of Early Head Start Programs, Staff, Families, and Children" Volume I: First Report; Volume II: Technical Appendices (February 2011)

Instruments

Family Service Tracking (FST) Sheet (Spring 2011-2012)
Home Visiting Content and Characteristic Form (Spring 2011)
Parent Questionnaire for Parents of 2-Year-Old Children (Spring 2010-2011)
Parent Questionnaire for Parents of 3-Year-Old Children (Spring 2011-2012)
Parent Interview (2010-2012)
Parent Interview 2009 Data Collection (Spring 2009)
2011 Program Director Interview (May 2011)
2009 Program Director Interview (April 2009)
Program Director Self-Administered Questionnaire (March 2009)
Teacher/Home Visitor Child Rating for Teachers and Home Visitors of 3-Year-Old-Children (Spring 2011-2012)

Presentations

 “Predicting Participation in Early Head Start.” Cheri Vogel, Pia Caronongan, Jaime Thomas, Yange Xue, and Kimberly Boller. Presentation at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Conference, Baltimore, November 9, 2012.

 “Dual Language Learners in Early Head Start and Head Start: Characteristics of Children and Families Served and the Services Received.” Nikki Aikens, Jerry West, Yange Xue, Judy Cannon, Cheri Vogel, and Kimberly Boller. Presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 20, 2012.

 “Predictors of Overweight and Obesity for Children in Early Head Start.” Pia Caronongan, Cheri Vogel, Yange Xue, Kimberly Boller, and Lauren Bernstein. Poster presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 19, 2012.

“Baby FACES Study Design, Sample Overview, and Analytic Approaches.” Cheri Vogel, Kimberly Boller, and Barbara Carlson. Presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 18, 2012.

 “Early Head Start Program and Staff Characteristics and Quality of Services Offered.” Eileen Bandel, Nikki Aikens, Pia Caronongan, Kimberly Boller, and Cheri Vogel. Presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 18, 2012.

 “Early Head Start Children’s Functioning at Age 3: Findings from Baby FACES.” Yange Xue, Eileen Bandel, Kimberly Boller, and Cheri Vogel. Presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 18, 2012.

 “Home Visit Service Receipt in Early Head Start.” Jaime Thomas, Pia Caronongan, Kimberly Boller, Cheri Vogel, and Judy Cannon. Presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 18, 2012.

 “Methodology for the Two-Bags Assessment: Findings from a National Early Head Start Study.” Eileen Bandel, Cleopatra Jacobs Johnson, Cheri Vogel, Kimberly Boller, and Shannon Monahan. Poster presentation at the Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 18, 2012.

“Getting Inside the Black Box: Monitoring Fidelity and Quality in Evidence-Based Home Visiting Programs.” Deborah Daro, Stacey Clettenberg, and Cheri Vogel. Presentation at the 18th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington, DC, April 16-20,2012.

 “Linguistic and Cultural Diversity of Early Head Start Children at Age 1: Baby FACES.” Cheri Vogel. Presentation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation, Washington, DC, September 21-22, 2011.

 “Health and Developmental Status of Early Head Start Children: Baby FACES.” Cheri Vogel. Presentation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation, Washington, DC, September 21-22, 2011.

 “Reaching Families in Early Head Start: Data from Baby FACES.” Rachel Chazan-Cohen and Cheri Vogel. Presentation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Head Start Research and Evaluation, Washington, DC, June 27, 2011.

 “Infant Feeding Practices, Demographics, and Risk Factors: Predictors of Overweight and Obesity for Children in Early Head Start.” Cheri Vogel, Yange Xue, Pia Caronongan, Kimberly Boller, and Rachel Chazan-Cohen. Presentation at the Society for Research in Child Development Conference, Montreal, April 2011.

 “Early Head Start Home Visiting: Understanding Content, Quality, and Frequency.” Kimberly Boller, Nikki Aikens, Cheri Vogel, Rachel Chazan-Cohen, and Randall Blair. Presented at the Administration for Children and Families Head Start National Research Conference, Washington, DC, June 2010.