...a variety of comprehensive services, such as early education, medical, dental, and nutrition assistance. This program was termed “Head Start.” In the last four decades the program has met its goal of assisting numerous disadvantaged youth, but questions have arisen as to whether or not the program has had any real impact on the children as they have grown up. The Organization Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has assisted more than 25 million preschool children (Frisvold & Lumeng, 2011, p. 376). Children can be eligible for the program’s assistance if they are at least three years old, the family’s total income is either equal to or less than the poverty guideline, or if the child is disabled or in foster care (Office of Head Start, 2007). Currently, the funding and costs of Head Start restrict the program to only allowing about 55% of eligible children, and these restraints require that a selection process be conducted amongst those eligible to determine which children- the most disadvantaged-will be selected (Frisvold & Lumeng, 2011). HEAD START PROGRAM: ADMINISTRATION AND EFFECTIVENESS 3 For those who are both eligible and selected, the program offers a multitude of assistance to set young children on a path to educational success. The program’s efforts are best described by The Office of Head start themselves, who state: Head Start programs...
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...More children are living below the poverty line in America today than when the war on poverty began almost fifty years ago. Despite consistent efforts by the government, nonprofit organizations, and the people themselves, poverty rates in 2012 are very similar to the early 1960s. Social security and Medicaid have reduced the number of seniors living in poverty, but the plight of children has worsened. Several factors have contributed to this problem. As measured by inflation adjusted dollars, wages of low-skill jobs have declined. The number of families headed by unmarried mothers has risen, and large numbers of immigrants with little education have entered the U.S. The combination of these factors have resulted in approximately 20% of our country’s children living in poverty, which is 50% higher than 1969. Historically, the foundational basis for lifting the disenfranchised out of poverty is education. One of the first steps of the civil rights movement was a grassroots movement educating the poor and disenfranchised to a level of literacy that would enable them to register to vote. This strategy was led by Stephen Currier and his wife, Audrey Bruce, the granddaughter of Andrew Mellon, during the early 1960s. Their Taconic Foundation brought the leading civil rights groups together with other foundations including the Stern, Rockefeller, and Norman foundations. The funding to civil rights advocacy associations was matched with volunteers throughout the South who tutored...
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...opportunities are more limited. Strain is more common among lower-class persons, who live in inner-city urban areas that are characterized more by social problems and crime. As a way to enhance educational and employment opportunities and reduce delinquency, the government funded policies such as “Head Start” and job programs for the lower-class youths. The Head Start program is a federal program for preschool children three to five years of age in low-income families. This program promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families. They engage parents in their children’s learning and help them in making progress toward their educational, literacy and employment goals. Significant emphasis is placed on the involvement of parents in this program. (Administration for Children & Families) By focusing on children and families during the children’s preschool, kindergarten and first grade years, yes, Head Start has positive impacts on the children during their time in the program. No one can say that a structured program like Head Start in ineffective. Any type of help that can be given to these young...
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...Benefits of Head Start Program Between ages two to six, the brain increases from seventy percent of its adult weight to ninety percent (Berk, 2014). This is the time where children can improve certain skills such as physical coordination, perception, attention, memory, language, logical thinking and imagination. Each individual child will express these skills differently due to contributing factors such as nutrition, parent involvement, social- economic status and etc. According to Erickson, this age group is in the stage of initiative versus guilt where children begin find purpose in what they do, have the sense of completing task, engaging with peers and discovering what they can do with the assistance from adults. Play is vital in this...
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...Research Proposal BSHS/382 Research Proposal Head Start and their Success Rates Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. (Administration for Children and Families, na) The Head Start program was started in 1965 by Jule Sugarman who was its creator and director. It was first thought of as a catch up Summer program for low income children who were not ready to start Kindergarten. The program would teach the children what they needed to catch up to start Kindergarten the following year. (Wikipedia, Feb, 2011) The Head Start Program has been under fire in recent years because recent studies are showing the program is not having the desired effect as it did 40 years ago. The success rates of Head Start are staggering. The Head Start Impact Study shows that the effects of the program are minimal and the overall effects of the program had vanished in children by the first grade. (Klein, J, 2011) Our proposal will illustrate the program and the overall success rates of Head Start. We will demonstrate ways to improve the overall success rate of the Head Start Program and why the program needs improvements as well as why the rates of success are falling. Elements of Study Children enrolled in the Head Start program are presented with the opportunity to receive educational benefits such as learning vocabulary, letter-word recognition...
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...A LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF EARLY YEARS PROVISION ON YOUNG CHILDREN, WITH EMPHASIS GIVEN TO CHILDREN FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS Edward C. Melhuish Institute for the Study of Children, Families & Social Issues Birkbeck, University of London Prepared for the National Audit Office The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the National Audit Office. Address of author Institute for the Study of Children, Families & Social Issues 7 Bedford Square London WC1B 3RA Email: e.melhuish@bbk.ac.uk Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 1. Introduction 1.1. The context of childcare research 1.2 Types of childcare and pre-school provision 1.3 Evidence on developmental effects 1.4 Structure of report 7 7 8 10 10 2. Childcare as intervention 2.1 Research methodology 2.2 Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) 2.2.1 Ypsilanti/High Scope/Perry Pre-school Study 2.2.2 Abecedarian Project 2.2.3 Project CARE 2.2.4 Milwaukee Project 2.2.5 Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) 2.2.6 Early Head Start (EHS) 2.2.7 Hackney study Table 1: Summary of Randomised Control Trials of Interventions 2.3 Quasi-experimental Studies 2.3.1 Head Start 2.3.2 Chicago Child – Parent Center Program 2.3.3 Syracuse Study 2.3.4 Brookline Early Education Project 2.3.5 Diverse State-based programmes in the US 2.3.6 Meta-analyses and reviews Table 2: Summary of Quasi-experimental Evaluations of Interventions 2.3.7 Summary...
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...Part One Introduction The selection process that this Georgia- based Head Start Program holds the focal point of this project proposal. As of the moment, selecting the beneficiaries of this project or program is based on a lottery system. In a circumstance where your child is selected, they are then permitted and encouraged to attend the head start program at no extra cost. On the contrary, if a child is not selected in the lottery, he could still join the program; but his family will be obliged to pay for the program at its own expense. This proposal aims to design a head start program that is all-inclusive and free. This points out to a program that involves all children in state of Georgia where it is originally headquartered. Project Approach and Methodology Used Essentially Project Management is characterized as a well- structured and planned approach towards efficient implementation of the set of activities intended for the entire project (Mutt, 2010). To be able to perform this paper, I prefer to utilize traditional approaches such as initiation, design or planning, execution, close monitoring and generalization after completion. Project Scope Many families claim that, no doubt, their children have the desire to attend the program but lack the financial potential to pay for it. It can be noted that kindergarten years serves as the gateway to success among children. In fact, this is the start of their career; therefore, they need to be prepared for that. Preschool...
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...Head Start 1 Running Head: HEAD START Social Policy Study Improving Head Start Act of 2007 Kristin Sancken University of Minnesota Head Start 2 I. Introduction Head Start is a beloved program and one of the few social welfare programs that continues to garner strong support from both sides of the aisle. It has seen very little shift in public perception over the last 44 years since it’s creation as part of President Johnson’s Office of Economic Opportunity, and politicians have framed it essentially the same way during that time, namely, a way to provide the least fortunate with a chance at educational opportunity. Every few years, the Head Start Act must be reauthorized by the U.S. House and Senate in order to continue receiving federal funding. The Head Start Act itself states that its purpose is to, “promote the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development”(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). Head Start focuses on growth in a variety of areas such as acquisition of language, literacy, math, science, social and emotional functioning, creative arts, and physical education (Kildee, 2007; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). To reach these lofty goals, Head Start provides a holistic blend of services to low-income children and their families, based on family needs (Kildee, 2007; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). The latest reauthorization...
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...Head Start began in 1965 to provide childcare and preschool education for low-income families (Administration for Children and Families [ACF], n.d.). Since its inception, the program has served more than 30 million children and their families (ACF, n.d.). Head Start and Early Head Start targets pregnant mothers and children up to age 5 (ACF, n.d.). This program has the characteristics as a family policy because of the intersection between this public service and the impact on the family system. Most Head Start programs include a family intervention to enhance the educational experience. The program also allows low-income families access to childcare, which is a large family cost, so that the parents or guardians may work and use their income for other family needs besides childcare and preschool education. This paper uses the Popple and Leighninger’s policy analysis model to review the Federal Head Start Program (Chapin, 2014). This model was selected because of the historical, social, and political contexts in which the Head Start program was developed as well as for...
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...Running head: FAMILY ENGAGEMENT 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ON THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OF YOUNG CHILDREN EDU 626 Instructor Dr. Rodriguez September 16, 2012 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ON THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OF YOUNG CHILDREN Torri Gaines Ashford University 2 ABSTRACT Because of common barriers to engagement, many families do not actively participate in their child‟s education process. These barriers can be addressed and overcome by building strong school and family partnerships to promote and increase family engagement. These types of partnerships can be established and maintained by both teachers and families in a joint effort for the benefit of all involved. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of my research study is to describe the impact that family engagement has on the educational process of children. Additionally the study describes the beliefs of teachers and families concerning family engagement, its benefits, and challenges. The specific research questions that will be addressed in this study are: 1. How does family engagement set the foundation for academic success in young children? 2. How does family engagement impact the family as a whole? 3. What are some barriers to engagement? A hypothesis I developed concerning this topic is that students whose families are not engaged in their educational process do worse in school (have lower selfesteem, perform worse academically and behaviorally) than those whose families...
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...and, more often, not affordable to their families. With this, a planning committee, including several aspects of development: physical and mental health, early education, social work, and developmental psychology, designed a program intended to give poor children the same benefit as their wealthier counterparts when they started kindergarten (where available) or the first grade. The federal program that was later named Head Start was created; its goal was primarily to end generational poverty. This program was a radical overhaul of traditional schooling. The developmental psychologists, Urie Bronfenbrenner and Edward Zigler served on this committee. This is important because a key component of what makes the Head Start Program so effective is attributed to Bronfenbrenner convincing the other members of the committee that to successfully intervene and really help the child, parent involvement in the Head Start Program was critical. Yet, until this point, it was also unheard of as parents were not part of the educational process of their children. In Head Start, currently, parent...
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...Both The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act and The Head Start Program are created to help the low-income and homeless people. The both programs have almost the same goal, which is reduce the poverty and improve the welfare. In fact, the Head Start program was established before The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Next, the rest of the paper will be summarizing for The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act and The Head Start Programs and some opinion. First of all, The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 is one of the United States federal laws, which provides money for homeless shelter programs. It was the first response to the homeless by the federal legislative. Also, it was passed and signed by President Ronald...
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...Influence of school readiness Supporting early learning will help to develop school readiness in children. School readiness is important for all children as it enables them establish the tools necessary to succeed in school. School readiness is one of the most, if not the most important factor in young childhood development. School readiness is anything that helps to prepare a child to engage and benefit from a classroom setting. This includes, language and literacy, mathematics, physical development, social and personal development, and scientific thinking. These domains can be successfully achieved by providing healthy environments, parental support, and good nutrition. Unfortunately, school readiness is not a mandated curriculum across the country as of yet. The mission of the National School Readiness Initiative was to set specific goals and measurable objectives. This data was tracked and measured with the intention of being used to serve as a framework for a national curriculum to focus more attention on young children and the needs of families. “The School Readiness Indicators Initiative works to develop a comprehensive set of school readiness indicators to inform public policy for young children and their families,” (School Readiness Initiative, 2013). This initiative involved teams from 17 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island...
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...Professor Campbell Shawn Ryan English 101 4/30/15 Concussions; Worse Than They Appear There is no better past time in the United States of America than American football. American football has been the favorite sport in America for the past decades. However, there have been studies which prove that football is incredibly dangerous to the players health. Studies have shown that football has caused concussions to players, damaged players permanently, and the higher chance of a shorter life. From thorough amounts of research; it’s proven that football causes concussions. Concussions occur when “the brain repeatedly collides with the skull, most often due to a blow to the head. Violent shaking of the head and upper body also can cause concussions”(Concussion Management in Football: Don't Shake It Off). Contrary to popular belief, concussions won’t always make the individual go unconscious for a period of time. Yes, that is true, but not all the time. Chris Miller, a retired quarterback, experienced the effects of a concussions when “he was knocked out of bounds and flew headfirst into equipment storage bins on the sideline. He got up and walked back to the huddle. The wrong huddle. Miller was confused, an effect of the concussion” (Concussion Management in Football: Don't Shake It Off). Although Miller didn’t lose consciousness, he still experienced a devastating concussion. After Miller got his first concussion all the rest concussions have been...
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...Football officials should provide the teams with newer helmets to lower the occasions of concussion, rule change and long-term effects. To comprehend the subject you must grasp difference of types helmets. The new helmets from Riddell are so far best in class by the University of Pittsburgh Neurology department. What makes the helmets different are wear they put the padding, the padding then absorbs more of the blunt force. This should be the standard football helmet from Midget (little league for football) to professional. This study is monumental for how we will build helmets. The study was taken over a three period, with more than two thousand football players from over one hundred schools. With Riddell Revolution helmets, players are thirty-one percent less likely even have a concussion. When the player did have a concussion the rate was two point three percent lower than the traditional design. Adam, a traditional helmet company was tested in a different study; the researcher gave it not recommended. Even thought these helmets are better for the brain it is harder on the player’s body. The number of neck and shoulder injuries did increased. After the death Kenneth Sheely (a fullback (player behind the quarterback can run the ball or...
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