Page 5 - PROGRAM IMPACT AND SATIFACTION AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF HEAD START PARENTS

NEEDS AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES
Child Care
Child care was a need indicated by 19.9% of Head Start parents who provided information. Parents were particularly more in need of child care for their child in Head Start (58.8%) than for another child in their family (2.0%). Child care for both a Head Start child and another child in the family was reported by 39.2% of parents.
Overall, English-speaking parents showed a greater need for child care than Spanish-speaking parents, which is similar to findings from the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 End-of-the-Year Parent Survey. Additionally, both groups reported that child care now or in the next six months was the type of child care they needed the most. A greater percentage of parents (27.6%) at the Tulsa Head Start Center reported a need for child care now or in the next six months for a Head Start child than any other center. Reseda was the Head Start Center with the greatest percentage of parents (17.9%) indicating a need for child care now or in the next six months for another child in the family.
Health Care
Parents were also asked about their use of an emergency room (ER) and their access to medical insurance and dental services. Most parents did not seek treatment for their child at an ER (79.5%). However, of the 154 parents (18.8%) who did, most (43.5%) sought treatment because their child had a fever. The greatest percentage of parents (14.7%) who took their child to an ER because of a fever attended the Head Start Center at Sepulveda.
Compared to Spanish-speaking parents, more English-speaking parents (55.2%) took their child to an ER in the last 12 months. A greater percentage of English-speaking parents also
A dentist provides check-ups for children at the Valerio Head Start Center.
reported that they had medical insurance (81.3%) and received dental services in the last 12 months (49.3%). Of the Spanish-speaking parents who responded, 48.5% had medical insurance and 40.3% had received or contacted dental services in the last year. Findings are similar to those from the 2012-2013 End-of-the-Year Parent Surveys which showed that less Spanish-speaking parents had medical insurance and accessed dental services than English-speaking parents.
Access to Services and Resources
Most parents (82.8%) reported that they did not receive referrals or services through Head Start. However, 17.2% (134) did and reported that they had received a referral for a resource or service from a Head Start Family Advocate. Of the 134 parents who indicated that they had received a referral, 28 (20.9%) indicated that they had difficulty in receiving or contacting the service or resource. Of the 28 parents who had difficulty with the referral they received, 25 (89.3%) provided a reason why it was difficult.
CCRC’s Head Start Parents Page | 2 December 2014