Local Research Partnership for Early Headstart Programs

ABSTRACT

This proposal describes a project to develop a research collaboration between researchers at the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City with the Project EAGLE Early Head Start (EHS) Project of Kansas City, Kansas. This partnership is proposed to carry out a program of research that allows investigators to determine the interrelationship of child, family, program and community variables on program outcomes. Data gathered through these studies will assist in the formative and summative evaluation of the local EHS site and will supplement, complement, and enrich the nationwide cross-site evaluation of EHS.

Through an integration of quantitative and qualitative studies, researchers at this site will address the following objectives (1) describe the dimensions of the participating population of families and children in the EHS program and control groups to determine the external validity and generality of the findings; (2) determine the overall effectiveness of EHS through the comparison of outcomes of families and children participating in the EHS program with those in the control group; (3) investigate the factors that mediate the relationships between EHS treatment and children's and families' outcomes; and (4) translate local quantitative and qualitative findings into staff development and program improvement.

Participants for the proposed study will be the 100 program children and their families and 100 control children and their families recruited by Project EAGLE. Data gathered through interview and child assessment and naturalistic observation will be directed to answer research questions regarding the moderating effect of the quality and quantity of program variables on children's and families' outcomes, the identification of family characteristics (risk and protective factors) that influence adverse outcomes and resiliency in children and families, and the moderating effect of family characteristics and program variables on children's developmental trajectories. This information will enhance the cross-site data set being gathered on these children and assist in the continuous improvement of the local Early Head Start program. The results of this longitudinal work are expected to produce discernible impact on several areas of early intervention research and practice. Among these areas are: the development of the longitudinal data base that describes the impact of early intervention on caregiving and the development of children in poverty; the identification of risk factors that will provide an empirical basis for projecting future psychological, social, and educational service needs; and the clearer specification of program features needed to improve the outcomes of children and families in poverty.