Information about the Head Start Connects Project

The Head Start Connects project is conducting research to understand how Head Start and Early Head Start programs coordinate family support services for parents and guardians.

A defining feature of Head Start is its whole-family approach, which supports well-being not only for children but also for their parents and guardians. Head Start and Early Head Start programs partner with parents and guardians to identify their strengths and needs, set goals, and access services to improve family well-being. However, we don’t know exactly how Head Start and Early Head Start staff across the country do this essential work.

The Head Start Connects project aims to build knowledge about how Head Start programs coordinate family support services for parents and guardians and the practices used to ensure that service coordination aligns with individual family needs and fosters family well-being.

During the Fall of 2022 and Spring of 2023, researchers from MDRC, NORC at the University of Chicago, and MEF Associates will be collecting information from staff of grant recipients and delegates delivering direct services through Head Start and Early Head Start to understand:

• What the coordination of family support services looks like on the ground
• The experiences of staff providing these services
• Opportunities to better support programs and staff in this important work

Grant recipients and delegates delivering Head Start and Early Start services, including American Indian and Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Early Head Start programs, will be randomly selected to participate in the voluntary study, which includes:

• Web-based surveys for program directors, family and community partnerships managers, and family support services staff
• Brief web-based surveys asking about the day-to-day work and well-being of family support services staff
• Focus groups about innovative practices with family support services staff

The Administration for Children and Families plans to use findings from the study to inform training and technical assistance with the aim of improving the well-being of Head Start families and staff.

Head Start Connects: A Study of Family Support Services is funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). For more information about the study, contact Michelle Maier, Project Director, at michelle.maier@mdrc.org