The Next Generation of Head Start: Expanding Access, Improving Quality, Advancing Equity
October 2023
Authors: Dr. Shantel Meek, Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka, Stephanie Curenton, Dr. Xigrid Soto-Boykin, Lisa Gordon, Dr. Brittany Alexander, Dr. Eric Bucher, Dr. Darielle Blevins, and Dr. Daphne Babrow
In this report, the CEP, in partnership with the Equity Research Action Coalition at UNC Chapel Hill and the Center on the Ecology of Early Development at Boston University, outline ten key changes to the Head Start Act that can boost the Head Start model for the next generation of children and families.
For more than 60 years, Head Start has been a comprehensive model of early childhood development for children and families. It was most recently reauthorized in 2007, 15 years ago. New data and research, a shifting policy landscape, and evolving community and family needs warrant an update to the program that will expand its reach, improve its quality, and advance equity. This brief explores 10 changes to the Head Start Act that can boost the Head Start model for the next generation of children and families.
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Suggested citation:
Meek, S., Iruka, I. U., Curenton, S., Soto-Boykin, S., Gordon, L., Alexander, B., Bucher, E., Blevins, D., & Babrow, D. (October 2023). The next generation of head start. The Children’s Equity Project. Retrieved from: https://cep.asu.edu/resources/The-Next-Generation-of-Head-Start
What is the next generation of Head Start?
Head Start combines early learning with health, nutrition, developmental screening, and family support. In The Next Generation of Head Start, the Children’s Equity Project and its partners propose ten changes to the Head Start Act to expand access, improve quality, and advance equity for children and families.
The brief responds to gaps in access and to changes in research, communities, and the broader early childhood system since the Act’s 2007 reauthorization. Its proposals address how families enroll, where programs operate, how staff are supported, and how program quality is measured. cep.asu.edu
Ten proposed changes to the Head Start Act
- Create a unified program from the prenatal period to kindergarten entry. The brief proposes a single enrollment process that would make it easier for children and families to remain connected to services over multiple years, along with funding based on the cost of delivering the model.
- Improve access where families need it most. It recommends examining whether program slots are geographically accessible and allowing eligibility approaches that respond to community needs while prioritizing families with the lowest incomes.
- Expand Early Head Start and child care partnerships. The authors propose extending the partnership approach to more infants, toddlers, and preschoolers through community child care and pre-K programs.
- Promote socioeconomic integration. The brief recommends combining funding sources, where feasible, to increase economic diversity within classrooms and programs.
- Strengthen family economic mobility. Proposed supports include helping families access income benefits, tax credits, and opportunities to build savings and wealth.
- Improve data, research, and pilot programs. The authors call for more useful program data, research shaped by community questions, and pilots focused on equity and family well-being.
- Prepare for environmental and climate risks. Recommendations address clean water, air quality, heat, severe weather, and the safety of Head Start facilities.
- Invest in the Head Start workforce. The brief proposes better compensation and benefits, professional learning, and pathways into the profession for parents and community members.
- Improve training and technical assistance. The authors recommend support that responds more directly to local program needs and strengthens equitable practice.
- Make equity central to program monitoring. The brief calls for closer attention to children’s experiences with disability inclusion, dual language support, discipline, and culturally affirming instruction.
Frequently Asked Questions
The brief proposes ten updates to the Head Start Act. Its recommendations focus on expanding access, strengthening services and the workforce, and measuring whether children and families experience equitable, high-quality programs.
Yes. The authors recommend a unified program spanning the prenatal period through kindergarten entry. Their proposal would allow families to complete one enrollment process for the duration of a child’s participation while retaining standards appropriate for each age group.
The brief recommends placing slots where families with the greatest needs can reach them, allowing eligibility approaches that reflect local conditions, and expanding partnerships with child care and pre-K providers.
They are partnerships in which Early Head Start grantees work with child care providers and provide resources to help partnership sites meet Head Start standards for infants and toddlers. The report recommends expanding and formally authorizing this approach, including partnerships serving preschool-aged children.
The authors recommend funding to improve compensation and benefits, support professional development, and create more pathways into the workforce for parents, bilingual staff, and community members.
The brief recommends better data and monitoring of children’s experiences, with particular attention to disability inclusion, dual language instruction, harsh discipline, and culturally affirming practices.