are native American. The latest numbers of those who are involved from birth to 5 are 1.1 million children (PDF, 2017). The proven strengths of the Early Head Start program are numerous. They increased the child’s school readiness by improving their language skills and the cognitive abilities. Their attentiveness towards objects was increased while interacting with their parents. Their parent interactions were more positive, and they had far fewer behavior issues. The parents were more engaged with their children and fathers had more positive interactions with their infant. Parents were more supportive of their children’s scholastic endeavors later on in their life and negating or decreasing the level of depression of the parents of impoverished youth (Early Head Start Works, 2017). …show more content…
In the Head Start Program Facts 2016, they state that only 67% of the centers are Early Head Start or a combination of both Early and Head Start. To go along with this, only 49% of the centers for Early Head Start offer 5 days and beyond 6-hour care. The educational level of the care givers at the centers is 73%. That is higher than is mandated by the government (PDF, 2017). I have to wonder why don’t all of the caregivers in these centers have a background in early childhood education. While Early and Head Start have parenting programs, I wonder how much of that information is actually absorbed and applied. The last limitation that I want to mention is the number of children that attend. There are 21.3 million children ageing from birth to 5 who live in poverty (Child Poverty: Percentage of children Ages 0-17 Living Below Selected Poverty Levels, 2017). Why are there only 1.1 million children allowed to participate in this