81. Invest in Head Start, Early Head Start (EHS), and high-quality early care and education (ECE) programs.

Partnerships and P-12 Education Systems 09.6.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • Congress should appropriate robust funding for Head Start and Early Head Start (EHS), including Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start.
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should expand income eligibility requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should appropriate robust funding for Head Start and Early Head Start, including Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start.
  • State health agencies should expand income eligibility requirements for Head Start and Early Head Start.

Here’s what institutional leaders can do:

  • Institutions of higher education should create partnerships and provide space for Early Head Start and Head Start centers to operate on or near campus.
  • Institutions of higher education should partner with Early Head Start and Head Start programs to support continuing education and job growth for teachers.

All children would benefit substantially from high-quality ECE programs, which serve as a core foundation toward college readiness and educational equity. Research suggests that high-quality ECE programs positively impact long-term outcomes due to the rapid cognitive, social, and emotional skills developed before age 5. [i] According to the National Head Start Association (NHSA):[ii]

  • Head Start [iii] participants are 12 percent less likely to face poverty as adults and 29 percent less likely to receive public assistance.
  • Head Start children have greater access to health care and improved physical health over their lifetime.

For more information, see the Civil Rights Principles for Early Care and Education (ECE)

[i] Carrie, Gillispie. “Young Learners, Missed Opportunities: Ensuring That Black and Latino Children Have Access to High-Quality State-Funded Preschool,” The Education Trust, 2019. https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/edtrustmain/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/05162154/Young-Learners-Missed-Opportunities.pdf.
[ii] “2024 State Fact Sheets,” National Head Start Association, January 11, 2024. https://nhsa.org/resource/state-fact-sheets/.
[iii] “Head Start Services,” U.S. Department of Education, Office of Head Start. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/about/head-start.