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The Influence of Low‐Income Children's Participation in Head Start on Their Parents’ Education and Employment

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  • Terri J. Sabol
  • P. Lindsay Chase‐Lansdale

Abstract

Head Start is the oldest and largest federally funded preschool program in the United States. From its inception in 1965, Head Start not only provided early childhood education, care, and services for children, but also sought to promote parents’ success. However, almost all evaluation studies of Head Start have focused solely on children's cognitive and social outcomes rather than on parents’ outcomes. The present study examines whether children's participation in Head Start promotes parents’ educational advancement and employment. We use data from the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS), a randomized trial of over 4,000 newly entering three‐ and four‐year‐old children. We find that parents of children in the three‐year‐old cohort (but not the four‐year‐old cohort), who were randomly assigned to and participated in Head Start, had steeper increases in their own educational attainment by child age six years compared to parents of children in the control group. This pattern is especially strong for parents who had at least some college experience at baseline, as well as for African‐American parents. We do not find evidence that Head Start helped parents enter or return to the workforce over time. Results are discussed in the context of using high‐quality early childhood education as a platform for improving both child and parent outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Terri J. Sabol & P. Lindsay Chase‐Lansdale, 2015. "The Influence of Low‐Income Children's Participation in Head Start on Their Parents’ Education and Employment," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 136-161, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:34:y:2015:i:1:p:136-161
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.21799
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elias Ilin & Samantha dup Shampine & Ellyn Terry, 2022. "Does Access to Free Pre-Kindergarten Increase Maternal Labor Supply?," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2022-3, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    2. Sabol, Terri J. & Sommer, Teresa E. & Chase-Lansdale, P. Lindsay & Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne & Yoshikawa, Hirokazu & King, Christopher T. & Kathawalla, Ummul & Alamuddin, Rayane & Gomez, Celia J. & Ross, Em, 2015. "Parents' persistence and certification in a two-generation education and training program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-10.
    3. Lindsey Lacey, 2023. "The physical and mental health returns of Head Start 25 years after participation: Evidence from income eligibility cutoffs," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(4), pages 870-890, October.
    4. Ariel Marek Pihl, 2018. "Head Start and Mothers' Work: Free Child Care or Something More?," Working Papers 18-13, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    5. Pihl, Ariel Marek, 2022. "Head Start and mothers’ work: Free child care or something more?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    6. Zhao, Chunkai & Wang, Runtao & Chen, Boou & Li, Jingrong, 2025. "Hidden costs of separation: Exploring the effect of left-behind experiences on financial market participation in China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    7. Elias Ilin & Samantha dup Shampine & Ellyn Terry, 2021. "Does Access to Free Pre-Kindergarten Increase Maternal Labor Supply?," Research Working Paper RWP 21-11, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
    8. Cuiping Schiman, 2022. "Experimental evidence of the effect of head start on mothers’ labor supply and human capital investments," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 199-241, March.
    9. Owen N. Schochet & Anna D. Johnson, 2019. "The Impact of Child Care Subsidies on Mothers’ Education Outcomes," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 367-389, September.
    10. Schochet, Owen N. & Johnson, Anna D. & Ryan, Rebecca M., 2020. "The relationship between increases in low-income mothers’ education and children’s early outcomes: Variation by developmental stage and domain," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    11. Justin B. Doromal & Molly Michie & Grace Kegley & Daphna Bassok, 2023. "Reducing Complexity to Support Families Navigating Early Care and Education Systems," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 706(1), pages 166-192, March.
    12. Gonzalez, Kathryn E., 2020. "Within-family differences in Head Start participation and parent investment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
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