Head Start Program Analysis

The general concepts of the field of early childhood is to help children learn the skills they need, in order to succeed later in their educational career. Several programs have been established to help with this concept. There are several programs for children starting at birth, and continuing until the child is 5 years old. Programs continue for children ages 5 through 8 years old as well. The programs that have been put in place have made a difference in the educational success for the children that participated. In early childhood education, educators have had and still have disputes about certain matters, such as the goals, curriculum, responsibility for care and education, quality, compensation, affordability, and school readiness. In …show more content…
Head Start began in 1965, and since then they have served more than 30 million children. They not only focus on the child’s mental, social, and emotional development, but also health, nutritional and social services and are receptive to the child’s ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage. Then in 1995 Early Head Start was formed to assist “low income pregnant mothers and families with infants and toddlers.” The goal of the program is to teach parents to care for their children better, and to help them to become more financially secure. Both programs can be found in family child care homes, centers, and schools depending on the needs of the community. One of the impacts of the Head Start program shows an effect on children’s cognitive development, social behavior, and health. Another finding of the program is that the money they spend now will actually save money in the future, by not having to pay for remedial education or prisons. Finally, children who participated had a higher vocabulary, writing skills, social skills, and early math skills. Later in their lives they had higher scores on IQ, reading and math tests. It was also found that more of the children are enrolled in or graduated from a four year college, delayed parenthood, and are …show more content…
In this program parents either go into the classrooms to work with their children, or someone who is trained in the field would work with the families in their homes. This program helps families with literacy issues, families that want to know more about prevention of substance abuse, the correct way to discipline, and how to deal with antisocial behavior. This program covers single parents, low income families, and children with