Enhancing early childhood outcomes: connecting child welfare and Head Start

Abstract

Head Start is a preschool program for families with low incomes and nearly 85% of child welfare-involved families are low-income, yet little is known about Head Start and child welfare collaboration. This study uses data from 28 Head Start directors to describe collaboration facilitators and barriers, and collaborative mechanisms in place. The mixed-methods study used data from a statewide survey and focus groups. Quantitative analysis used descriptive means and proportions. Qualitative analysis used a general inductive approach. Results show that nearly all Head Start programs prioritise enrollment for child welfare-involved children and know about foster care placement, but lack memoranda of understanding (50%), co-located staff (14%) and policies concerning joint service planning (9%). Directors report that Head Start staff need more support, including making referrals to child welfare. Cross-training, shared case planning, and streamlined processes could help move the organisations further along the developmental continuum of collaboration.

Keywords:

• head start
• child welfare
• collaboration
• coordination
• systems of care

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge Ann Deaton, Laricia Longworth-Reed, and Jill Jordan for their contributions to this work.

Note on contributors

Julie S. McCrae, Ph.D., MSW, Associate Research Professor and Research Scientist at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work, Butler Institute for Families. Dr. McCrae engages in research related to early childhood development and child welfare interventions, including integrating community and primary care interventions to reduce children's exposure to adverse childhood experiences.

Samantha M. Brown, MA, LPC, is a PhD Candidate at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work. Her interests focus on the intersection between child maltreatment and parental substance misuse and the impact on multiple domains of family functioning. She conducts research that aims to enhance child and family outcomes through preventive interventions, including those that use contemplative practices and trauma-focused frameworks.

Jessica Yang, MSW, LCSW is a doctoral student at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work. Mrs. Yang engages in research related to the child welfare system and its outcomes. Specifically, Mrs. Yang is interested in understanding outcomes for former foster youth and the ways in which systemic factors impact lifelong outcomes.

Sheila Groneman, MA, Director of Head Start State Collaboration and Systems Coordination at the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Early Childhood. Sheila has more than three decades of experience in the field of early childhood care and education in Colorado, devoting her career to promoting and creating high quality early learning experiences that support healthy child development in any setting.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the US Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau, under grant number [90CO1060].