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Explores racial & interstate differences in Head Start enrollment, including the capability of socioeconomic, political, & racial factors to account for differences in state enrollment success, drawing on census data from the 1990 Public Use Microdata Sample. Independent variables include Rodney E. Hero & Caroline J. Tolbert's (1996) minority diversity measure. Head Start enrolls a much higher proportion of eligible blacks than eligible whites; however, state differences are enormous. For all children, rural states do better. Blacks do better in wealthier states & those with less minority diversity. For whites, minority diversity also is a powerful predictor of lower enrollment. The political variables do not help to account for Head Start enrollments. The minority diversity variable stands out as warranting attention in future research; for Head Start specifically, the appearance of favoritism for poor blacks over poor whites would seem to increase Head Start's political vulnerability in several states. 3 Tables, 20 References. Adapted from the source document.

Our paper provides some of the first evidence on the effect of the Head Start funding expansions on program inputs. We take advantage of the county-year variation in funding increases that were implemented due to a number of legislated policy changes in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. By focusing on the period between 1988 and 2007, we show that the funding increases were directed at increasing program enrollment and full-time enrollment. We also show that the funding expansions were used to make a number of quality-related in- vestments, including increasing the number of teachers and staff, and upgrading the skill-level of teachers.

The author's own experience as a Head Start teacher in a poverty-ridden school in the South Bronx illustrates the contradictions this popular program has experienced from its beginnings 36 years ago. The Head Start program was created to prepare underprivileged three- & four-year-olds to enter school on a level of educational readiness equal to middle-class children. Its additional goal of parental involvement & entry into community action programs was never realized. Although its funding has tripled in the last decade, Head Start has resources to serve only 20%-40% of eligible children & suffers from lack of facilities, health professionals, & teachers. The recently passed education bill will evaluate Head Start for its academic results with no mention of the development of social aptitude, which has been the best achievement of the program. Head Start centers that do not meet the new evaluation criteria will be closed. This is a recipe for failure, with overworked personnel being diverted from teaching to testing, & the children being, therefore, even less prepared to pass. L. A. Hoffman

"U.S. Government Printing Office: 1995-612-032-1302/03074". ; "PS 024 285". (ERIC online document designator). ; "ED 397 952". (ERIC online document designator). ; Mode of access: Internet.

Head Start is a federal program that has provided comprehensive early childhood development services to low-income children since 1965. Services provided to preschool-aged children include child development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other activities, intended to prepare low-income children for entering kindergarten. This report contains information on the background and funding of the program.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Head Start program, overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services and administered by the Office of Head Start, provides child development services primarily to low-income families and their children. Federal law allows up to 10 percent of enrolled families to have incomes above 130 percent of the poverty line--GAO refers to them as "over-income." Families with incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line, or who meet certain other criteria, are referred to as "under-income". Nearly 1 million children a year participate in Head Start, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided an additional $2.1 billion in funding. GAO received hotline tips alleging fraud and abuse by grantees. In response, GAO investigated the validity of the allegations, conducted undercover tests to determine if other centers were committing fraud, and documented instances where potentially eligible children were put on Head Start wait lists. The investigation of allegations is ongoing. To perform this work, GAO interviewed grantees and a number of informants and reviewed documentation. GAO used fictitious identities and bogus documents for proactive testing of Head Start centers. GAO also interviewed families on wait lists. Results of undercover tests and family interviews cannot be projected to the entire Head Start program. In a corrective action briefing, agency officials agreed to address identified weaknesses."