Children participating in Head Start during the 2003-04 school year showed significant learning gains in vocabulary, early math skills, and early writing skills, according to the latest results of an ongoing survey. The survey is examining youngsters’ experiences in the federal preschool program for children from low-income families.
The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, which is conducted for the government by Westat, a research organization based in Rockville, Md., also shows that the average 4-year-old in Head Start now knows at least 10 letters of the alphabet—a goal established by Congress during the 1998 reauthorization of the program. And in an effort to comply with reauthorization requirements, a larger proportion of Head Start teachers now hold associate’s degrees—72.1 percent, compared with 56.8 percent in 2000.
For More info
“Faces 2003 Research Brief: Children’s Outcomes and Program Quality in Head Start” is available from the Administration for Children & Families.
