Head Start Children’s Developmental Progress and Kindergarten Experiences

This brief focuses on Head Start children’s developmental progress and kindergarten experiences, drawing on data from the 2009 cohort of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2009). In a related report, we explore in depth the home and classroom supports available to children in kindergarten (Malone et al. 2017). Measuring children’s outcomes and experiences throughout the program and following up at the end of kindergarten yields a deeper understanding of Head Start’s efforts to prepare children for the school experience, and provides context for where children go after they leave Head Start.