A portrait of family involvement during Head Start: Nature, extent, and predictors

Abstract

Family involvement, an important resource for early learning among children in poverty, is a primary focus of the Head Start preschool program. The current study examined the extent to which families in Head Start were involved in children's learning at home, in the community, and at school, as well as the child, family, and center factors that predicted this involvement. In total, 2154 children and families, as well as the 165 directors of their Head Start centers, participated in the nationally representative Family and Child Experiences Survey (2003 cohort). Child and family background and involvement data, as well as center outreach information, were collected through self-report surveys and interviews. Descriptive analyses showed that families were regularly involved in children's learning in all three contexts, although no ceiling effects were observed. Inferential analyses revealed that family background and process factors were the most substantial predictors of family involvement at the beginning (i.e., fall) of the Head Start year, and many of these factors continued to predict involvement at the end (i.e., spring) of the year. However, effect sizes were generally small. Center factors, including goals and incentives for involvement, were not linked to family involvement in fall or spring. In sum, findings indicate that most Head Start families were regularly involved with children's learning in diverse ways, but that involvement could be further increased. Distinct patterns of modest family predictors emerged, with center outreach indicated as a factor that could potentially be enhanced.