Head Start’s Footprint: Children's Learning and Education
September 2025
Authors: Dr. Xigrid Soto-Boykin, Dr. Shantel Meek, Dr. Brittany Alexander, Dr. Darielle Blevins, Dr. Eric Bucher, Mario Cardona, Pranshu Mihirbhai Jayswal and Mounika Mandhari
Head Start is one of the nation’s most established early childhood education programs, supporting children’s learning, school readiness, health, and development before they enter the K–12 education system. This Children’s Equity Project report examines the research on Head Start’s educational impact, including its effects on early literacy, math, language development, school readiness, and long-term academic outcomes.
This report explores Head Start’s educational reach and impact. We review major tenets in Head Start policy that shape its focus on education, and synthesize the research on the impacts of Head Start on children’s pre-academic and long-term academic success, and the benefits communities see from ensuring all income-eligible children in their communities can access Head Start.
The research reviewed in the report demonstrates how high-quality early learning experiences can build the foundation for later academic success. Head Start supports development across areas that are closely connected to kindergarten readiness and future learning, including language and literacy, early mathematics, cognitive development, social-emotional development, and approaches to learning. Research examined by CEP also considers Head Start’s longer-term relationship with educational attainment and outcomes throughout elementary and secondary school.
Browse all of our Head Start Resources
What Does Research Say About Head Start’s Impact on Learning?
Research on Head Start shows that the program can strengthen important skills children need when they enter kindergarten. Studies reviewed by the Children’s Equity Project identify gains in areas such as vocabulary, print knowledge, phonological awareness, early numeracy, counting, spatial reasoning, attention, persistence, and emotional regulation. The report also examines evidence connecting Head Start participation with longer-term academic and educational outcomes.
These findings are particularly important as policymakers, educators, and families consider the role of early childhood education in improving school readiness, reducing opportunity gaps, and supporting children before they enter the K–12 system.
Head Start Access and Educational Opportunity
We also review research from other countries that documents the detriment to communities, schools, and all students when children who live in communities are excluded from education, including early education like Head Start, due to immigration documentation.
Access to Head Start is therefore an important part of the report’s examination of educational opportunity. Barriers that prevent eligible children from participating in early learning programs can affect not only individual families but also the schools and communities children eventually enter.
We also explore research on the impact of administrative burden, particularly on families experiencing homelessness, families of children with disabilities, and children involved in the child welfare system, among others.
Head Start Eligibility and Administrative Barriers
Head Start eligibility policies are intended to connect children and families with comprehensive early learning services, but application and verification requirements can create additional barriers for some eligible families. The report examines how administrative burden can affect access, particularly for families experiencing homelessness, families of children with disabilities, children involved in the child welfare system, and other families navigating complex circumstances.
Understanding these barriers is essential when evaluating Head Start enrollment, access, and the program’s ability to reach children who may benefit most from high-quality early childhood education.
Why Head Start Matters for Children and Schools
Head Start’s educational impact extends beyond preschool. By supporting children’s development before kindergarten, the program can help strengthen the early foundations associated with later reading, mathematics, social-emotional development, and academic success. This report brings together research on those outcomes while examining the policies that determine which children are able to access Head Start.
Download the full report to explore the Children’s Equity Project’s analysis of Head Start, early childhood education, school readiness, academic outcomes, educational access, and the policies that shape children’s opportunities to learn.
Suggested Citation:
Soto-Boykin, X., Meek, S., Alexander, B., Blevins, D., Bucher, E., Cardona, M., Mihirbhai Jayswal, P., & Mandhari, M. (September 2025). Head Start’s Footprint: Children’s Learning and Education. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. https://cep.asu.edu/resources/Head-Starts-Footprint-Childrens-Learning-and-Education.
Related Articles:
What Are the Head Start Eligibility Requirements in 2026?Can Head Start Turn Around Falling NAEP Math and Reading Scores? What the Evidence ShowsThe Economic & Social Case for Head Start: Why Restricting Access Hurts All Communities
News Mentions:
The Washington Post | ABC News | Fox 40 | The 74 | The Seattle Times| K-12 Dive| The New York Times | The 74
Frequently Asked Questions
Head Start supports children’s learning through comprehensive early childhood education designed to promote school readiness and healthy development. Its educational approach includes early learning experiences as well as services that address factors such as health, family wellbeing, and access to additional supports that can influence a child’s ability to learn.
Research has examined Head Start’s effects on children’s pre-academic skills and preparation for school. The program is designed to help children build foundational skills in areas such as language, literacy, mathematics, social-emotional development, and approaches to learning before they enter elementary school.
Research on Head Start extends beyond children’s immediate preschool outcomes. Studies have examined how participation may influence longer-term educational outcomes and academic success, including children’s experiences as they progress through school.
Access to early education can benefit both children and the communities in which they live. When income-eligible children can participate in Head Start, families gain access to early learning and comprehensive supports that can strengthen children’s preparation for school and help communities expand access to early childhood education.
Policies and administrative requirements can create barriers that discourage some immigrant families from accessing educational opportunities and other public services. Research reviewed in this report also examines the broader consequences that can occur when children living in a community are excluded from education because of immigration documentation or related restrictions.
Administrative burden refers to the paperwork, procedures, documentation requirements, and other processes families may have to navigate to access services. These requirements can make it more difficult for some families to enroll in or remain connected with early childhood programs, particularly when families are already experiencing challenging circumstances.
Families experiencing homelessness may face additional challenges providing documentation, maintaining consistent contact information, completing enrollment procedures, or navigating complex eligibility processes. Reducing unnecessary administrative barriers can help make early childhood programs more accessible to families experiencing housing instability.
Head Start is designed to serve children with a wide range of developmental and educational needs, including children with disabilities. Inclusive early childhood education can help children access learning opportunities alongside their peers while families connect with appropriate educational, developmental, and support services.
The report examines Head Start’s educational reach and impact, including the policies that shape its focus on education and research on children’s pre-academic and long-term academic outcomes. It also examines the effects of restricting educational access because of immigration documentation and the impact of administrative burden on families, including families experiencing homelessness, families of children with disabilities, and children involved in the child welfare system.