Who enrolls in head start? A demographic analysis of head start-eligible children

Abstract

This article describes those who were and were not served by Head Start in 1990, and draws implications for program expansion. We first examined how characteristics of the child, the family, and the community were associated with the enrollment of poor 3to 5-year-old children in Head Start. Second, we identified the types of programs and child-care arrangements in which non-Head Start children were enrolled in 1990. Third, we looked at how family and community characteristics are related to Head Start-eligible parents’ use of multiple arrangements. Finally, we explored the types of supplementary and “wraparound” arrangements Head Start and non-Head Start children use. The sample was taken from the National Child Care Survey 1990. It consisted of 212 children ages 3 to 5 who, in 1990, were living with their mother, were not enrolled in school, and whose families were poor or on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Results suggest that, in 1990, family structure was related to enrollment in Head Start; children in twoparent families with no earners were the most likely to be enrolled. In contrast to what was expected, there was little difference in enrollment by employment status of the mother per se, though having a mother in a job training program was associated with greater enrollment. Black children were more likely to be enrolled than children from other race/ethnic groups. Of 3to 5-year-olds not enrolled in Head Start, only about one quarter were enrolled in a center-based program, and only about half of these were in programs offering comprehensive services. The majority of children not enrolled in Head Start were in parent or in relative care. Thus there appears to be substantial room to expand the Head Start program without pulling children out of comparable existing programs.