Early Head Start Programs, Staff, and Participating Infants/Toddlers and Families: Baby FACES 2022 Data Tables

This report shares key information about the design, methods, and findings of Baby FACES 2022. These data can inform program planning, technical assistance, and future research.

The following are key findings of the study:  

• Families served by Early Head Start are ethnically and linguistically diverse. The median family household income in the past year is about $26,400. About 36 percent of families have medium or high levels of demographic risk. In spite of those challenges, families and children are faring well and managing their stress. Parents report positive relationships with their children, and are responsive and sensitive to their child’s needs. 

• About 30 percent of families reported dealing with challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, most commonly employment issues and keeping the family safe from COVID-19. Most of these families have received support from their Early Head Start program to address these challenges. 

• Early Head Start teachers and home visitors are well educated and experienced. Most teachers (60 percent) and home visitors (83 percent) have at least a college degree and infant/toddler experience (average of 8 years for teachers and 6 years for home visitors).  

• Early Head Start teachers and home visitors receive professional development from their programs. Most teachers and home visitors (over 70 percent) have participated in a wide range of professional development activities (including individual or group supervision meetings and classroom/home visit observations with feedback) and received training on a variety of topics. A majority of teachers (80 percent) and home visitors (75 percent) have coaches, and most of them meet with their coaches at least once a month.  

• Generally, Early Head Start classrooms are in the mid-range of quality. On average, Early Head Start teachers provide stronger support for children’s social-emotional development (with a mean of 4.5 out of 7) than for their cognitive development (with a mean of 3.2 out of 7) or language and literacy development (with a mean of 3.8 out of 7). Teachers say they have positive relationships with infants and toddlers. Teachers and parents also report positive relationships with each other.  

• Early Head Start home visits are in the adequate range of quality, with a mean of 4.1 out of 7. Early Head Start home visitors are stronger in relationship building with families (with a mean of 5.1 out of 7) than being responsive to family strengths (with a mean of 3.7 out of 7), facilitating caregiver-child interactions, or collaborating with caregivers (with a mean of 4.0 out of 7). On average, about half (54 percent) of the time during the observed home visits is spent on child-focused activities. Play is the most commonly conducted activity during home visits (80 percent of the home visits). Parents and home visitors report strong working relationships with each other.  

Baby FACES 2022 selected nationally representative samples of Early Head Start programs, centers, home visitors, classrooms, and teachers, and also sampled the families and children they serve. All programs were in Office of Head Start Regions 1—10.  

The study collected cross-sectional data in spring 2022, conducting parent surveys by phone and giving web-based surveys to teachers, home visitors, and center and program directors. In addition, parents and teachers or home visitors rated the language and social-emotional development of the children in the sample. Observers conducted in-person classroom observations and in-person or virtual home visit observations. For home visit observations that were conducted in person, the study also video-recorded parent—child interactions in the home if the child in the sample was 12 months or older. 

The tables in this report answer both research questions. They include nationally representative estimates of key characteristics of Region 1-10 Early Head Start programs and centers; teachers, home visitors, and classrooms; and families and children enrolled in spring 2022. Descriptive statistics (means and percentages) are weighted to represent the total population at each level. A nonresponse bias analysis suggests that the responding sample at the program level may not be fully representative of the national sample. Because samples of centers, home visitors, classrooms, and children were selected within participating programs only, weighted estimates from those later sampling stages also may not be fully representative. Therefore, the study team recommends interpreting the national representativeness of the estimates in the data tables with caution.  

Xue, Yange., Cassandra Baxter., Christopher Jones, Yuri Feliciano, Anna Beckham, Harshini Shah, Erika Lee, Ellen Litkowski, Barbara Carlson, Hanzhi Zhou, Judith Cannon, Brandan Pierce, Axelle Clochard, Fransisco S. Yang, Matthew Martinez, Eileen Bandel, Sally Atkins-Burnett, and Cheri Vogel (2023). Early Head Start Programs, Staff, and Participating Infants/Toddlers and Families: Baby FACES 2022 Data Tables. OPRE Report #249. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.