This paper examines the federal Head Start Program — a comprehensive early childhood development initiative serving low-income families — and analyzes it through the framework of social control theory. The paper outlines Head Start's history, goals, performance standards, and specialized components such as American Indian Head Start, Migrant Head Start, and Early Head Start. It then applies Travis Hirschi's social control theory to explain how the program addresses deviant behavior by strengthening social bonds, improving socialization, and building pro-social attachments in young children. Research evidence on reduced crime rates and improved behavioral outcomes among Head Start graduates is also discussed.
For America's young children between the ages of three and five who belong to low-income families, a comprehensive set of developmental services — including social services for their families — is offered by a nationwide plan called Head Start. To meet particular local requirements, approximately 1,400 community-based non-profit organizations and school systems develop individualized programs. Head Start was launched in 1965 under the Office of Economic Opportunity and is now administered by the Administration for Children and Families.
The Head Start Program was built on the premise that all children share certain common needs, and that children from low-income families can benefit from a comprehensive developmental program designed to meet those needs. The Head Start approach rests on several key assumptions: a child can benefit from a comprehensive, interdisciplinary plan to promote growth and development; because the family is the primary influence on the child's development, both the family and the surrounding community must be included in the program; and local communities are given the freedom to design creative program plans as long as the core purposes, goals, and principles of the overall program are maintained. The overarching aim of the Head Start Program is to foster a higher degree of social competence in children from low-income families. Social competence refers to the child's day-to-day effectiveness in dealing with both present circumstances and future tasks in school and later in life (Zill, 2003, p. 2).
Social competence is informed by physical and mental health, nutritional needs, and the interrelationship of cognitive and academic growth, among other factors. Head Start goals and program standards provide for: improvement of the child's and family's ability to relate to one another; development of a sense of dignity and self-worth within the child and family; establishment of patterns and expectations of success that create a climate of confidence for present and future learning; improvement of the child's mental functioning and skills, with particular attention to conceptual and communication abilities; development of the family's orientation toward future health care and physical well-being; support for self-confidence, spontaneity, curiosity, and self-discipline that will foster the child's social and emotional health; and improvement of the child's physical health and skills, including appropriate steps to address existing physical and mental problems and to ensure access to adequate nutrition (Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001, p. 285).
After individual needs are identified, targeted services are provided to each family. These include family needs assessment, enrollment and recruitment of children, community outreach, and crisis support or crisis intervention. Funding is awarded to private non-profit organizations or local public agencies, and each community is required to contribute twenty percent of the total cost of its Head Start program. Head Start programs operate in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The majority of Head Start appropriations fund local projects, while the remaining balance supports research, demonstration, and evaluation activities to test innovative program models and assess effectiveness; required monitoring activities; and training and technical assistance to help local projects meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards and sustain and improve program quality (Garces, Thomas, & Currie, 2002, p. 1000).
Staff training is provided at all levels and across all program areas by Head Start. Through the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, both professional and paraprofessional staff have the opportunity to pursue academic degrees or certification in early childhood education. Volunteers play a significant role in all Head Start programs. People from all walks of life — including retired senior citizens, homemakers, parents of Head Start children, and high school and college students — have provided meaningful assistance to local programs in areas such as parent education, transportation, center renovation, and instruction. Approximately 1,315,000 individual volunteers and community organizations provide a wide range of services, including the donation of classroom space, equipment for children with disabilities, and educational materials. Since 1965, Head Start has served over 15.3 million children and their families (Oden et al., 2000, p. 1).
The 1994 bipartisan legislation made a comprehensive revision of the Head Start Program Performance Standards — the foundational rules that define quality in Head Start programs nationwide — a central priority. The revised standards were developed through consultation with Head Start and early childhood practitioners, in keeping with the Administration's goals for program reinvention. Published as a final rule in the Federal Register on November 5, 1996, the new standards incorporated updated principles for infants and toddlers, integrated current research knowledge and the expertise of health professionals, improved the organization of earlier standards for greater ease of use, and emphasized the importance of partnerships between Head Start programs and the broader community (Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001, p. 288).
American Indian Head Start supports rich, diverse, and unique Indian languages, traditions, and heritage. Programs promote the integration of language and culture into program goals and curriculum. More than 84 different Indian languages are spoken within Head Start. Enrollment in fiscal year 1997 included 320 children in Parent-Child Centers and 18,550 children in American Indian Head Start programs. The Head Start Bureau provides resources to seven Tribal Governments operating Early Childhood Centers that serve pregnant women, infants, and toddlers from birth to age three, as well as four Tribal Governments operating Parent-Child Centers. These programs offer a broad array of services to families living on reservations. Among Indian Head Start programs, 83 percent are center-based and 17 percent offer a combination of center-based and home-based options. There are 919 classrooms and 487 centers in the Indian network. American Indian and Native Alaskan Head Start programs are typically small and located in remote areas. The Navajo Nation holds a major grant from the Head Start Bureau to facilitate the transition of Head Start children to Bureau of Indian Affairs and public schools; the Crow Tribe, Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma, and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians fund other transition activities (Zill, 2003, p. 3).
Migrant Head Start program services are similar to those of regular Head Start, but Migrant grantees adapt their approaches to meet the specific needs of migrant farm-worker families. The Migrant Head Start program places particular emphasis on serving infants and toddlers, as well as preschool-age children, so that they do not have to be cared for in the fields or left in the care of very young siblings while parents work. In Migrant centers, infants as young as six weeks old are cared for, enabling both parents to work and supplement their limited farm-work earnings. Migrant Head Start families must move at least once within each two-year period in search of farm work and must earn more than half of their annual income from agricultural labor. Families who move most frequently are given priority, and all families must also meet the annual Head Start income eligibility guidelines (Garces et al., 2002, p. 1001).
"EHS services for infants and evidence on behavioral improvements"
"Hirschi's theory applied to Head Start program design"
"Crime reduction statistics and long-term graduate outcomes"
Only 60 percent of three- and four-year-old children living in poverty are currently assisted by Head Start due to insufficient financial support. Early Head Start is able to serve fewer than five percent of eligible younger children in poverty. In order to enroll more eligible children, increased funding is needed — funding that can also support enhancements such as raising teacher qualifications, implementing evidence-based curricula, and expanding parent coaching and behavioral interventions for at-risk children. By investing in quality services now, millions of Americans can be prevented from becoming victims of crime, and millions of vulnerable children can grow into productive and responsible adults.
You’re 47% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 3 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.