Variation in Head Start program effects on parents’ cognitive stimulation and socioemotional interactions with children

• In Event: 3-006 - Program Evaluation and Identifying Intervention Targets via Secondary Data

Abstract

Prior studies that examine whether Head Start impacts parenting behaviors suggest that participation in Head Start is associated with increased parent reading and math-related activities and lower levels of harsh punishment (Ansari et al., 2016; Gelber & Isen, 2013; Puma et al., 2010). However, this literature almost exclusively examines the average effect of Head Start, ignoring potential heterogeneity of effects across programs that would elucidate optimal program practices for enhancing parenting behavior.

The present study exploits the random assignment and multi-site design of the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS) to 1) quantify variation in program impacts on cognitive stimulation and socioemotional interactions with children and 2) investigate whether programs higher in parent engagement and classroom quality improve parenting practices more effectively. The HSIS is a nationally representative sample of 383 randomly selected Head Start centers and 4,667 three- and four-year-old children. Within each center, children were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that had access to Head Start, or to a control group that did not (but could enroll in other programs).

I examine variation in the effects of random assignment to Head Start (an average effect of “intent to treat” [ITT]) using a 2-level random coefficients model, which estimates variation in effects across 344 Head Start sites. Findings reveal significant variation in program impacts across a range of parenting behaviors after one year of Head Start (Table 1). For instance, across centers, parents randomly assigned to Head Start read for 1.18 additional minutes per day on average compared to parents randomly assigned to the control condition. This association varied across programs (with a significant standard deviation of 2.27 minutes). Assuming normality, the range of ITT effects for this outcome signifies that in 95% of cases, parents in Head Start centers read for 3.26 fewer to 5.62 additional minutes per day than control group parents – demonstrating wide variation in program impacts.

Next I ask, what features of Head Start account for that variability? Future analyses will explore if centers that are highly engaging of parents or have high classroom quality are more effective at improving parenting outcomes than programs moderate or low in these features. These questions will be addressed using both ITT models and models using an instrumental variables approach to estimate the local average treatment effect (LATE) among random assignment compliers.

Author

• Christina M Padilla, Georgetown University
  Presenting Author