Introduction
The Study of Disability Services Coordinators (DSCs) in Head Start was the first nationally-representative study of the Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) DSC workforce, their roles, and the activities they support. NORC at the University of Chicago, along with their partners at SRI International and consultant Amanda Schwartz, conducted the study under contract to the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in close collaboration with the Office of Head Start (OHS).
This study explored who fulfills the role and responsibilities of a DSC in EHS/HS programs and how they work with program staff, local education agencies, service providers, and families to support children with disabilities and suspected delays in their programs. Data from this study will inform ACF and OHS about programs’ implementation of the DSC efforts and topics for technical and training assistance. Further, programs can examine how their current practices compare to national and regional approaches to disabilities services.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to provide information about the Study of DSCs in Head Start, including background, design, methodology, and analytic methods, and share study data using detailed descriptive statistics in a series of tables. The majority of information is counts, frequencies, and percentages representing how EHS/HS programs and DSCs in those programs vary in their provision of services for children with disabilities or suspected delays.
Key Findings and Highlights
For EHS/HS programs (Chapter 4), the tables show information on:
The program director’s work experience and personal characteristics.
Program-level details about provision of disability services.
For DSCs (Chapter 5), the tables show information on:
The DSC’s work experience and personal characteristics.
DSC roles and responsibilities.
The DSC’s program, including professional development needs and engagement with including children with disabilities and suspected delays.
Disability related trainings.
Recruitment, screening, referral, evaluation, and ongoing assessment of children with disabilities and suspected delays.
Collaboration with families and external partners, such as Part C providers, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and other community partners.
Transitions of children with disabilities from DSCs’ EHS/HS program to other settings.
Methods
Data were collected in three ways:
A web-based Program Director Survey provided to the universe of EHS/HS grantee and delegate program directors.
A web-based Disability Services Coordinator Survey provided to all DSCs and staff fulfilling DSC roles as identified in the Program Director Survey.
Qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured DSC interviews via videoconference with 35 respondents purposively selected from the pool of DSCs who indicated in their Disabilities Services Coordinator Survey their willingness to participate in an interview.
Every table in this report presents weighted estimates, with the values statistically adjusted to reduce potential bias due to survey non-response. The Program Director Survey uses a program-level weight, while the Disability Services Coordinator Survey uses a DSC-level weight. With these weights incorporated, the values from the Program Director Survey and Disability Services Coordinator Survey are nationally representative of all EHS/HS programs and all EHS/HS program DSCs (or staff who fulfill the role of a DSC) respectively.
This work was conducted to gather findings as related to the 2016 Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) (subchapter B of 45 CFR chapter XIII) and the 2007 Head Start reauthorization language (42 USC 9801 et seq.) which requires EHS/HS programs to include children with disabilities who are determined to be eligible for special education and related services, or early intervention services, as determined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) at a rate of not less than 10 percent of the total number of children actually enrolled by each agency.
OHS has been fully engaged with this study from initial conceptualization, to providing input for the development of priority topics, refinement of the measures, and reviewing the final report.
Citation
Ehrlich Loewe, S., TenBroeck, S., Van Vleet (Kappel), R., López, M., Tiburcio, A. R., and Streett, G. " A National Picture from the Study of Disability Services Coordinators in Head Start: Data Tables and Study Design" OPRE Report #2024-115. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 2024.
Glossary
- ACF:
- Administration for Children and Families
- DSC:
- Disability Services Coordinator
- EHS:
- Early Head Start
- HHS:
- United States Department of Health and Human Services
- HS:
- Head Start
- LEA:
- Local Education Agency
- OHS:
- Office of Head Start
- OPRE:
- Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation