Head Start Advantages

Head Start is a national, federally funded child development program that provides services with an overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children from birth to age 5 from predominantly low-income families by supporting their development in a comprehensive way. Head Start approaches the needs of both children and their families with health, nutrition, and other social services that are designed to foster stable family relationship, enhance children’s physical and emotional well-being and establish a learning environment that supports and develop strong cognitive skills. Head Start has the philosophy that parents are a child's first and most influential teacher therefore services are offered to help prepare the parent(s)

The effects are particularly strong amongst certain subgroups of children, particularly Hispanic and African-American children, dual language learners, children who are homeless or in foster care, those who qualify for free lunch, and those whose mothers didn’t graduate high school. Head Start children performed considerably better on social skills and have better approaches to learning. In addition to academic boost, their problem behaviors, such as aggression and hyperactivity are also decreased, they had fewer attention problems and exhibited fewer negative behaviors. Head Start participants may benefit physically as well; there are skilled professionals that carefully examined children for any health problems, have a better chance of eating healthy foods, seeing a dentist and having a lower BMI. Thus, children who attends Head start are less likely to be in poor health. Mental health professionals are also available for children and families with special

Through Head Start programs, parent(s) receives guidance and helps them create stimulating home environments and do more learning activities with their children, and to become more supportive in their child's future educational and social endeavors. The parents of Head Start children are less likely to use physical forms of punishment, as they increase their educational levels during their children's early years than other at-risk parents. The Head Start Impact Study found Head Start parents are investing more in their own children; spent more teaching their own children numbers, letters, colors, and shapes, more time praising their children, showed their children more physical affection, spent more time doing the child’s favorite activities (Head Start Facts & Impacts, n.d.). Therefore, positive parent interaction enhances children’s attitudes toward learning, as they provide the range of support necessary to help children develop a more positive outlook in