Ethnicity of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1992 - 1993
Regions
Ethnicity of Children Enrolled in Head Start Regions--Percentages
Home Languages of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1992-1993
Home Language of Children Enrolled in Head Start by Region
Ethnicity of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1998-1999
Home Languages of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1998-1999
As noted in the introductory chapter, there has been rapid growth in minority representation in the United States population. The combined minority population, including the Census categories of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaskan Native, increased more than 200% from 1960 to 1993. This increase was ten times greater than the increase in the white population over the same time period. The Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority population among the four groups. The Census Bureau estimates that minorities will comprise 47% of the U.S. population by 2050.
This chapter describes the ethnicity and home language distribution within the Head Start population when this study was begun, in the year ending in the spring of 1993. The national data is presented, followed by regional breakdowns. The profile of the population is taken from the Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data from the year 1992-1993. Enrollment information from the 1998-1999 PIR will also be presented to document the recent efforts made by Head Start to attract children and families from minority groups.
Table 3.1 Ethnicity of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1992 - 1993
| Census Category |
% of Head Start Population |
# Head Start Children |
| White |
33.0 |
235,945 |
| Black |
36.3 |
259,004 |
| Hispanic |
23.8 |
169,909 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native |
3.8 |
27,128 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander |
3.1 |
21,917 |
| Total Minority |
67.0 |
477,958 |
| Total U.S. |
100 |
713,903 |
Over two-thirds of children enrolled in Head Start are members of a minority group. Head Start PIR data show that in 1993, 67% of children enrolled were members of a minority group, the largest two groups being Blacks at approximately 36%, and Hispanics at approximately 24%.
Head Start is a national, federally funded program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, with ten regional offices around the United States and two special program branches (Migrant and American Indian programs) located in the central office in the Head Start Bureau in Washington, DC. The profiles of children and families served vary widely across the regions, and thus enrollment information will be presented by region as well as nationally. To clarify terms used in this section, Department of Health and Human Services Regions are listed in Table 2.2.
Table 3.2 Regions
| Region |
States |
| I |
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| II |
New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands |
| III |
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |
| IV |
Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia |
| V |
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin |
| VI |
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas |
| VII |
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska |
| VIII |
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota |
| IX |
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Insular Areas |
| X |
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington |
| XI |
American Indian Program Branch (located in Washington, DC) |
| XII |
Migrant Program Branch (located in Washington DC) |
Regions vary widely in the percentages of minority children served, as well as the profile of the minorities served. In terms of the overall populations, Region XI and XII have the highest percentage of minority children. These two regions are atypical, as they are not geographically limited; they serve special populations throughout the nation. Region XI serves nationally recognized Indian tribes, and 94% of the children served are American Indian or Alaskan Native. Region XII serves migrant workers and their children and is 96% Hispanic. It is also important to note that Region II, with 83% minority, serves Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in addition to New Jersey and New York. The remaining nine regions serve from 38% to 81% minority children.
Many Head Start children do not speak English at home, and many come to Head Start with limited English proficiency. The PIR forms that programs complete have a finite number of choices for each question. Thus, the data presented below reflect the language choices on the 1993 PIR data form. Many languages do not appear on this list, limiting our knowledge of the true breadth of languages spoken.
Table 3.3 Ethnicity of Children Enrolled in Head Start Regions--Percentages
| Region |
%
White |
%
Black |
%
Asian/Pacific
Islander |
% American
Indian/Alaskan
Native |
%
Hispanic |
%
Total
Minority |
| I |
53 |
23 |
3 |
1 |
20 |
47 |
| II |
17 |
28 |
2 |
* |
53 |
83 |
| III |
45 |
46 |
2 |
* |
7 |
55 |
| IV |
30 |
67 |
* |
* |
3 |
70 |
| V |
49 |
41 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
51 |
| VI |
24 |
40 |
1 |
2 |
33 |
76 |
| VII |
62 |
32 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
38 |
| VIII |
57 |
7 |
2 |
7 |
27 |
43 |
| IX |
19 |
16 |
16 |
1 |
48 |
81 |
| X |
53 |
9 |
4 |
9 |
24 |
47 |
| XI |
5 |
* |
* |
94 |
1 |
95 |
| XII |
2 |
1 |
* |
1 |
96 |
98 |
| *less than 1 percent |
PIR data indicate that approximately 21% of Head Start children did not speak English as their primary language. While Spanish is the most common language spoken other than English, substantial numbers of Head Start families speak French (including Caribbean dialects), various Chinese dialects, Vietnamese, and Hmong. The survey allowed programs to list the languages children speak, as opposed to the PIR, which only allows for endorsing the languages on the provided list. The programs surveyed listed over 140 languages spoken by Head Start children.
Table 3.4 Home Languages of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1992-1993
| Language |
% of
Enrolled
Children |
# of
Enrolled
Children |
| English |
78.8 |
562,868 |
| Spanish |
17.5 |
125,186 |
| French |
* |
214 |
| Haitian |
0.3 |
2,213 |
| Vietnamese |
0.4 |
2,713 |
| Hmong |
0.3 |
2,427 |
| Chinese |
0.4 |
2,499 |
| Cambodian |
0.2 |
1,142 |
| Korean |
* |
286 |
| Japanese |
* |
71 |
| Other |
2.0 |
14,284 |
Table 3.5 Home Language of Children Enrolled in Head Start by Region
| Region |
% English |
% Spanish |
% French |
% Hmong |
% Other |
| I |
79 |
16 |
2 |
* |
3 |
| II |
49 |
47 |
1 |
* |
3 |
| III |
93 |
6 |
* |
* |
1 |
| IV |
97 |
2 |
1 |
* |
* |
| V |
94 |
4 |
* |
1 |
* |
| VI |
83 |
16 |
* |
* |
1 |
| VII |
97 |
2 |
* |
* |
1 |
| VIII |
92 |
7 |
* |
* |
1 |
| IX |
54 |
33 |
* |
1 |
11 |
| X |
74 |
19 |
* |
* |
6 |
| XI |
86 |
1 |
* |
* |
13 |
| XII |
6 |
92 |
* |
* |
1 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
PIR data indicate that across most Regions the majority of children speak English as their primary language. Again, there is substantial variability across Regions in the proportion of children with a home language other than English. Region XII, serving the migrant population, has the lowest percentage of English speaking children, 6%. In the remaining 11 regions, the percentage of English speakers ranges from 49% to 97%.
Between 1993 and 1999, Head Start enrollment increased by 17%, from 713,903 to 835,365 children. Enrollment in 1999 reflects the changing demographic patterns in the United States. Table 3.6 and 3.7 present data on the Head Start preschool population in the year ending in the spring of 1999.
Table 3.6 Ethnicity of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1998-1999
| Census Category |
% of Head Start Population |
# Head Start Children |
| White |
30.3 |
253,116 |
| Black |
35.2 |
294,048 |
| Hispanic |
28.0 |
233,902 |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native |
3.4 |
28,402 |
| Asian |
2.1 |
17,543 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
1.0 |
8,354 |
| Total Minority |
69.7 |
582,249 |
| Total U.S. |
100 |
835,365 |
The numbers of minority children and non-English speaking children increased between 1993 and 1999. The percent of minority children served rose from 67% to almost 70%, reflecting an increase of 104,291 children. The Hispanic population showed the most growth, increasing from 24% to 28%. Head Start served 233,902 Hispanic children in 1999, as opposed to 169,909 in 1993, an increase of 38%.
The home language choices listed in the 1998-1999 PIR form differ from the 1992-1993 form, making direct comparisons across time periods more difficult. Table 2.7 presents the languages listed in the PIR and the programs' description of the total Head Start population for the year ending in the spring of 1999.
Table 3.7 Home Languages of Children Enrolled in Head Start 1998-1999
| Language |
% of Enrolled Children |
# of Enrolled Children |
| English |
75.9 |
634,042 |
| Spanish |
20.4 |
170,414 |
| Asian |
1.5 |
12,530 |
Native American |
0.3 |
2,506 |
| Other |
1.9 |
15,872 |
The diversity in home language spoken mirrors that of the ethnicity in the Head Start population. The percent of non-English speaking households rose from approximately 21% in 1993 to approximately 24% in 1999. Again, the largest growth was Spanish speaking-households, increasing from 17.5% to approximately 20%. Head Start served 170,414 children from Spanish-speaking households in 1999, as opposed to 125,186 in 1993, an increase of 36%.
In summary, the Head Start population is increasingly diverse with respect to the culture and linguistic backgrounds of children enrolled. The following chapters will describe how Head Start programs serve the unique needs of children and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Population Group
Key Findings
-
A majority of children enrolled in Head Start are members of a minority group. The largest ethnic group served by Head Start is Black children.
-
The Head Start population is increasingly diverse; the percent minority rose from 67% in 1993 to approximately 70% in 1999. The sharpest increase was in Hispanic children, whose enrollment increased by 38% between 1993 and 1999.
