Head Start Impact Study
Effectiveness of the Head Start Program through Third Grade
Since its beginning in 1965 as a part of the War on Poverty, Head Start’s goal has been to boost the school readiness of low-income children. Based on a “whole child” model, the program provides comprehensive services that include preschool education; medical, dental, and mental health care; nutrition services; and efforts to help parents foster their child’s development. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child’s and family’s ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage. In the 1998 reauthorization of Head Start, Congress mandated that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determine, on a national level, the…
