Head Start

Paper Summary:

Head Start is thought of today as one of the most successful experiments in public programming that has ever been created and implemented in the United States to help children. Head Start has a 30+ year tradition of helping prepare children for school and is especially focused on children in the noted socioeconomic high risk category for failure in school - those who are considered to be living in poverty or below. The program is available in most areas on a sliding scale to those who exceed the federally determined poverty line.
The writer concludes that the long-term effects of the implementation of Head Start and Early Head Start seem to give an indication of success, as the children attending programs do prove better prepared for school.

From the Paper:

"Previously the fundamental issues of poverty were considered a problem among adults, that would be solved by helping those adults and their children would then be helped in turn through their parent's success. The fundamentally flexible manner in which programs were overseen and conducted during the time allowed a great deal more opportunities for change, than they do currently.
Shriver had an inherent interest in helping children, through his own and his wife's professional histories and Shriver also believed that poor children were a much more appealing cause to the general public, as they could not be accused of laziness or bad behavior and would likely not be a target for complaints with regard to the problems that the CAP program initially experienced. After a little more research, Head Start was then begun to prepare children for school through programming and structures that teach pre-reading skills and classroom expectations. Shriver structured and implemented the program after one he had visited that had been previously funded by the Kennedy Foundation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kamerman, Sheila B., and Alfred J. Kahn. Starting Right: How America Neglects Its Youngest Children and What We Can Do about It. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Wall, Shavaun M., et al. "Early Head Start and Access to Early Intervention Services: A Qualitative Investigation." Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 25.4 (2005): 218-222.
• Zigler, Edward, and Susan Muenchow. Head Start: The Inside Story of America's Most Successful Educational Experiment. New York: Basic Books, 1992.

More papers on Head Start:

• Persuasive Essay # 133406 : "The Head Start Program"
• Analytical Essay # 130501 : "Montessori and Head Start Early Education"
• Essay # 50108 : "The Head Start Program"

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