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Early Head Start: A New Commitment
to Children and Families

Helen H. Taylor, Associate Commissioner, Head Start Bureau

When President Clinton signed the bipartisan Head Start reauthorization legislation on May 18,1994, the Head Start Bureau was challenged to implement an ambitious new agenda. Foremost among the complex and demanding tasks the Bureau faced was the mandate to launch a new program for low-income families with infants and toddlers.

Early Head Start was developed through an extensive consultation and planning process which recognized that the years from conception to age 3 were critical in human development, and that high quality services to support families and enhance growth and development can make a difference in outcomes for young children.

The award of 68 new grants for Early Head Start programs in September 1995 (see related article, "First Grants Awarded for Early Head Start," p. 5.), marked the successful completion of a major step in this agenda, and enhanced Head Start's role as a national leader in the field of services for families with infants and toddlers and pregnant women.

Let me summarize some of the key steps that brought us to that point:

• In the spring of 1994, to obtain input on the new program, more than 30 focus groups and other consultations were conducted with over 700 parents, practitioners, researchers, representatives of professional organizations, and advocates.

• An Advisory Committee on Head Start Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers was appointed by HHS Secretary Donna Shalala. It was composed of experts in child development, health, and family services and met during the summer of 1994 to advise the Department on the development of program guidelines, on the latest research findings, on input from the focus groups, and on Head Start's experiences with the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP), Parent and Child Centers (PCCs), migrant grantees, and other efforts involving families with infants and toddlers. (A copy of the Committee's report can be obtained by contacting the Head Start Publications Center, PO Box 26417, Alexandria, VA 22313-0417. Fax 703-683-5769.)

  The Committee agreed that the new program--named Early Head Start (EHS)--should be family centered and community based. The Committee also identified nine principles to serve as the foundation for EHS:

  • High Quality;
  • Prevention and Promotion;
  • Positive Relationships and Continuity;
  • Parent Involvement;
  • Inclusion;
  • Culture;
  • Flexibility, Responsiveness, Comprehensiveness, and Intensity;
  • Transition; and
  • Collaboration.

  Based on the Committee's recommendations, the program was designed to focus on four cornerstones:

  • Child Development,
  • Family Development,
  • Community Building, and
  • Staff Development.

• A Program Announcement was published in the Federal Register on March 17, 1995. Nearly 600 proposals were received and paneled during July. Pre-award site visits were made in August, and 68 grants were awarded in September.

  The new EHS program will enroll families throughout the coming year and, by September 1996, when all projects are expected to be fully operational, comprehensive services will be provided to more than 5,000 families.

  To assure quality in programs for families with infants and toddlers in both newly funded as well as existing programs, a specific training and technical assistance (T/TA) strategy was developed as follows:

• ZERO TO THREE/The National Center for Clinical Infant Programs was named the T/TA contractor for EHS. Along with their subcontractor WestEd (formerly Far West Laboratory for Educational Research & Development), the Center will work with the regional Technical Assistance Support Centers (TASCs) and Resource Access Projects (RAPs) to provide assistance to EHS grantees.

• As part of our initiative to assist all Head Start programs serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, the migrant programs and PCPs were given an opportunity to apply for additional funding to assure that adequate numbers of qualified staff were working with infants and toddlers, and that group size supports good developmental practices.

  A rigorous evaluation plan was also developed to carry out multiple objectives, including the identification of successful program models and the variables that contribute to program outcomes. This research strategy will lay the groundwork for later longitudinal studies. (See "Early Head Start Research and Evaluation", p. 4.)

  The proposed new Head Start Program Performance Standards will include standards for all Head Start programs, including EHS, which serve infants, toddlers, and pregnant women.

  Head Start has always been about the future. As we begin to create a 21st Century Head Start, Early Head Start stands as both a symbol of hope and a sign of our commitment to a better future for America's youngest children and their families.

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