Head Start, the U.S. government-funded preschool program, provides the greatest benefits to children
whose parents give them little help with learning early in life, new research shows.
The study, published March 6 in the journal Child Development, also found that showing parents how to assist their children with reading and counting may be beneficial.
Head Start offers low-income children preschool education, nutrition services and medical, dental and mental health care. It currently serves more than 1 million children a year.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 5,000 children, aged 3 and 4, who were enrolled in Head Start. About one-third of the children were black, one-third were Hispanic and one-third were white or other races and ethnicities.
The study found that spending one year in Head Start helped all the children develop early math and literacy skills. However, the benefits were greatest for those whose parents hadn't provided them with early learning stimulation, such as helping them count, reading to them or assisting them in recognizing and pronouncing letters and words.
Abstract in Child Development: Do the Effects of Head Start Vary by Parental Preacademic Stimulation?
Comments (0)