{"title":"Block Grant Head Start? Devolution's Potential Negative Impact on Children and Families","authors":"Christopher A. Mallett, Benjamin L. Allen","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_12","url":null,"abstract":"The “new federalism” paradigm offers an explanation why the federal government has devolved much of its administration of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, formerly AFDC) and Medicaid (through managed care) programs. A review of child and family outcomes data resulting from these devolutionary changes in TANF and Medicaid indicates that these devolutionary changes generally appear to have decreased access to medical coverage, decreased well-being outcomes, decreased cognitive development, increased behavioral and emotional difficulties, and increased the incidence of poor health for children and families. If the “new federalism” paradigm is extended to the Head Start program by block granting it to the states, children and their families served by Head Start are in potential jeopardy of suffering similar fates. This strong possibility should make policy makers very cautious about devolving or block granting the Head Start program to the states.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130925038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessment and Program Accountability in Early Childhood Education: Lessons Learned in Ohio.","authors":"Mary Boat, Debbie Zorn, James T. Austin","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_3","url":null,"abstract":"Ensuring that children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, start school ready to learn is an important goal. This paper presents lessons learned from the state of Ohio's multi-year program to develop a standards-based assessment system for programs delivering state-funded early childhood education (ECE) through programs receiving public dollars such as the federally funded Head Start and state- funded preschool programs. Its program, called the Ohio Indicators of Success Initiative (IOS), was designed to collect data that could be used to improve the quality of state-funded ECE programs in Ohio and to hold these programs accountable for child outcomes. A significant proportion of ECE programs are Head Start programs.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121437773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Validity of Head Start Teacher Assistant Report of Children's Peer Play Competencies","authors":"C. McWayne, Yumiko Sekino, J. Fantuzzo","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_10","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined the validity of teacher assistant report of children's classroom peer play behaviors using the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS). Participants for the examination of construct validity were 344 urban Head Start children. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in a reliable three-factor solution, corroborating the dimensions of interactive peer play previously found with teacher and parent reports. Factor-matching analyses yielded high congruence between the teacher- assistant structure and the credentialed-teacher and parent structures. Additionally, concurrent validity was demonstrated with a subsample of 270 children by significant relationships found between the PIPPS dimensions and teacher observations of children's classroom learning competencies and an independent assessment of children's early academic success. The results affirm that teacher assistants in Head Start are a reliable and valid source of information on children's interactive, peer play competencies.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128402434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ask NHSA Dialog","authors":"J. Brooks-Gunn","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_2","url":null,"abstract":"QUESTION FOR THE FIELD: Three important reports with implications for the effectiveness of early intervention programs for young children at risk were recently released. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study looked at shortand long-term effects of preschool across 40 years for 123 African Americans who were at risk for school failure. The findings of the study showed that those who had attended preschool had higher earnings in their jobs, were more likely to hold a job, committed fewer crimes, and were more likely to graduate from high school. A very recent report on the National Reporting System (NRS) from the National Head Start Association (NHSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services illustrates the positive impact of Head Start on the school readiness of 4and 5-year-olds. Children showed improvement in understanding spoken English, vocabulary, letter recognition, and early math skills than children who did not participate in this program. The FACES study demonstrated cognitive gains were made while in Head Start and children advanced toward national norms in writing and reading assessments. Given her extensive research background in poverty and child and family policy, we at NHSA Dialog asked Jeanne Brooks-Gunn for her comments on the significance of these findings as well as how these findings should impact policy and practice in early intervention for at-risk populations.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131299603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Motivation as a Facet of School Readiness in a Head Start Sample","authors":"Christopher C Henrich, C. Wheeler, E. Zigler","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0801_8","url":null,"abstract":"The EZ-Yale Personality Motivation Questionnaire (EZPQ) was used to measure motivation as a facet of school readiness in a sample of 133 children during the spring of their final year of Head Start. Three motivational constructs assessed by the EZPQ, academic mastery motivation, negative reaction tendency, and outerdirectedness, were associated with criterion measures of cognitive and social-emotional school readiness in the expected directions. The EZPQ scales were also sensitive to amount of time spent in Head Start. Children completing their second year of Head Start evinced more adaptive motivational characteristics than children who had been in the program for just one year. Implications address the value of comprehensive definitions of school readiness not restricted to just emergent literacy, math, and language skills.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"76 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131542174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Green, J. Simpson, Maria C. Everhart, Elizabeth Vale, M. Gettman
{"title":"Understanding Integrated Mental Health Services in Head Start: Staff Perspectives on Mental Health Consultation","authors":"B. Green, J. Simpson, Maria C. Everhart, Elizabeth Vale, M. Gettman","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_5","url":null,"abstract":"Despite mandates for Head Start programs to provide mental health services to families and children, considerable variability remains in the level and type of services provided by mental health consultants. A qualitative study was conducted to explore staff perceptions about the role of mental health consult- ants and, in particular; the ways in which consultants are (or are not) integrated into the day-to-day functioning of Head Start programs. Programs with integrated mental health models were characterized by strong positive relationships between consultants and program staff; perceptions that the consultant was \"part of the team,\" and involvement of the consultant in a wide variety of program activities and components. Results suggested that programs with such an integrated mental health model were more likely (compared to those with a more traditional consultant model) to report a strong, unified vision for mental health services, to describe a mental health approach consistent with current promising...","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117334216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Defining Head Start Children's Social Skills.","authors":"Sue Vartuli, Carol Bolz, D. Choi","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_10","url":null,"abstract":"The primary objective of this research was to determine if 3 methods of assigning sociometric categories contribute similar information. The participants for this investigation consisted of 72 Headstart children from 3 classrooms. The results of this research indicate that social status categories based on peer ratings and nominations could be used interchangeably. All three methods-peer ratings, nominations, and weighted peer ratings were equally effective in identifying rejected children. However, neither peer rating nor nomination categories were stable over a 9-month lapse. Teachers' social skills ratings were positively related to age but not to peer ratings or sociometric nominations. The researchers recommend that a combination of measures including the child's perspective be a part of the assessment when children are selected for social skills training intervention.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129748234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Early Home Intervention to Promote School Readiness: A Turkish Experience","authors":"S. Bekman","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_4","url":null,"abstract":"The paper presents the results of an evaluation research that studied the impact of a nationwide home intervention program, the Mother-Child Education Program, on both children and mothers immediately after the termination of the program and at the end of the children's first year of formal schooling. A prebost control group quasiexperimental design was used. There were 102 experimental and 115 control mother-child pairs, the total sample being 217. The results revealed that the Program has important effects on the cognitive development of the child as reflected in the significant increase in the performance of the group receiving training with respect to preliteracy and prenumeracy skills. When the children were followed in their first year of schooling, the experimental children were found to be better at in literacy and numeracy skills and had started to read earlier than the control group. Furthermore, their end-of-year grades were better than their counterparts. Teachers also perceived them as meetin...","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128408904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Identification of Preliteracy Skills in Hispanic Head Start Children.","authors":"L. López, D. Greenfield","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_6","url":null,"abstract":"This study measured the English and Spanish language proficiency and phonological sensitivity skills of Hispanic children who attended Head Start. Its primary objective was to determine the relationship between language proficiency and phonological sensitivity in English and Spanish independently, and whether this relationship differed in English and Spanish. An equivalent measure of language was administered in Spanish and English to 100 Hispanic preschool children who attended Head Start. In addition, parallel forms of an English and Spanish phonological sensitivity test were developed for the study, as no such measures currently exist. Mean comparisons indicated higher language skills in Spanish but equivalent phonological skills in both languages. Correlational analysis demonstrated a relationship between language proficiency and phonological sensitivity of similar magnitude in both languages. Implications for these results are discussed.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"136-137 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131901984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Qualitative Study of Caregivers' and Teachers' Perceptions of Behavior Problems in Head Start Children","authors":"Joshua S. Smith, K. Quinn","doi":"10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1207/S19309325NHSA0701_8","url":null,"abstract":"Research shows that established emotional and behavioral problems predict chronic and pervasive troubles across the life span. Attempts to ameliorate children's emotional and behavioral problems have resulted in limited success. The failure to systematically elicit and include caregiver and teacher perspectives in effective interventions is related to persistent behavior problems. Research demonstrates that caregivers and teachers view children's emotional and behavioral issues differently. This study examined caregivers' and teachers' perceptions of Head Start children exhibiting emotional and behavioral problems. Specifically, the researchers examined the perceptions of the causes, severity, solutions, and communication patterns within and among 5 caregiver/teacher dyads. The results of the study show that although there was active communication, differences in perceptions emerged. Implications for current practice and future research on communication are presented.","PeriodicalId":216014,"journal":{"name":"Nhsa Dialog: A Research-to-practice Journal for The Early Intervention Field","volume":"137 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124469927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}