ABSTRACT

This study utilized data from the Family Life Project (FLP) to examine Head Start children’s school readiness skills at the end of preschool in comparison to two other care groups: home-based care and other center-based care. The FLP study enrolled a birth-cohort of 1,292 children born in two historically low-wealth, rural regions of the U.S., with oversampling of children from low-wealth families and African American families. Propensity score weighting adjusted for differences in baseline child and family characteristics between the Head Start participants and children in the two alternative care groups. Research Findings: The results indicated that the Head Start group had higher literacy skills at the end of preschool in comparison to the home-based care group (β = 0.36), but no other reliable differences emerged between these groups in school readiness skills. No reliable differences emerged between the Head Start and other center-based care groups in school readiness skills. Practice and Policy: Implications for educational practice and policy were discussed in relation to Head Start programming in rural America, including potential targets for program improvement and strategies for program expansion.

摘要

本研究利用家庭生活项目 (FLP) 的数据来检查 Head Start 儿童在学前班结束时的入学准备技能，并与其他两个护理组（家庭护理和其他中心护理）进行比较。FLP 研究纳入了出生在美国两个历史上低财富农村地区的 1,292 名儿童，并对来自低财富家庭和非裔美国家庭的儿童进行了过采样。根据启蒙计划参与者和两个替代护理组儿童之间基线儿童和家庭特征的差异调整倾向得分权重。研究成果：结果表明，与家庭护理组相比，启蒙组在学前班结束时具有更高的识字技能（β = 0.36），但这些组之间在入学准备技能方面没有出现其他可靠的差异。Head Start 和其他中心护理小组在入学准备技能方面没有出现可靠的差异。实践和政策：讨论了与美国农村地区的启蒙计划有关的教育实践和政策的影响，包括计划改进的潜在目标和计划扩展的策略。