Page 4 - PROGRAM IMPACT AND SATIFACTION AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF HEAD START PARENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A quality early childhood education creates a profound and lasting impact in the lives of children. The Head Start program is rooted in providing a quality early childhood education that holistically contributes to the well-being and successful future of young children. Head Start supports children beyond their educational needs by attending to their physical, mental, medical and dental health, and offering resources for the child’s family. Families participate in a system of support and professional services that provide access to basic provisions, such as food and clothing. Head Start also offers resources for job placement that aid parents in stepping up the economic ladder and in trainings that help parents prepare their children for a successful future in school.
For over 17 years, the Child Care Resource Center’s (CCRC) Head Start program has provided such services to low-income children and their families living in the San Fernando Valley. CCRC’s Research Department annually assists in the evaluation of the Head Start program. This year, the Research Team supported the Head Start program in the development, distribution, and analysis of the End-of-the-Year Parent Survey, which aimed to capture how the program meets parents’ needs and identify the areas in which changes to the program can be made. This report provides Head Start staff and management with an opportunity to learn about the parents they serve and focuses on four aspects of parents’ experiences: 1) needs and access to resources in regards to child care, medical and dental care, and community services, 2) participation in Head Start meetings, trainings, and events, 3) conditions of the neighborhoods and homes in which parents live, and 4) parents’ overall experience in the Head Start program.
In May of 2014, a total of 1,374 surveys (one survey for each Head Start child) were distributed to the parents at CCRC’s 17 Head Start Centers. A slightly higher percentage of Spanish- speaking parents than English-speaking parents returned their completed surveys. Out of 896 surveys, 519 (69.4%) Spanish-speaking parents returned a completed survey and 373 (60.2%) English-speaking parents returned their survey. Respondents of the survey were typically Spanish-speaking mothers (87.1%) as opposed to fathers (9.4%), grandmothers (1.3%), foster mothers (0.9%), female legal guardians (0.7%) and other types of caregivers (0.5%). Overall, a response rate of 65.2% was attained. The following sections highlight several of the most prominent findings of this survey.
CCRC’s Head Start Parents Page | 1 December 2014