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Early Childhood Programs: Many Poor Children and Strained Resources Challenge Head Start
 

Education reform and the reauthorization of Head Start - the centerpiece of federal early childhood programs - have focused attention on (1) improving the quality of early childhood programs and (2) increasing the number of children that they serve. The quality and availability of early childhood services are also key issues in the ongoing debate over welfare reform, which could demand increased child care for parents making a transition from welfare to work.
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Early Childhood Programs: Many Poor Children and Strained Resources Challenge Head Start
 

The number of children under ages five who are at risk of school failure increased greatly during the 1980s. Education reform and the reauthorization of Head Start--the centerpiece of federal early childhood programs--have focused attention on improving the quality of early childhood programs and increasing the number of children being served.

This report highlights the major themes and policy implications for implementing Head Start and other early childhood programs. GAO concludes that efforts to improve the quality of the Head Start program and expand it to include more children are complicated by several factors: the growing numbers and changing characteristics of poor children, rising costs of services, and limited community resources. For more on this report >>> [PDF, 1.64MB]

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Early Childhood Programs: Many Poor Children and Strained Resources Challenge Head Start. GAO-03-840T. GAO. 2003. English. [PDF, 1.64MB]