Head Start Participation and School Readiness: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort December 10, 2012

. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jun 10.

Published in final edited form as: Dev Psychol. 2013 Mar 25;50(1):202–215. doi: 10.1037/a0032280

Table 1 Descriptive Statistics by Head Start and Other Specific Care Arrangements

	HS (n ≈ 1,150)		Pre-K (n ≈ 1,050)		Other center- based care (n ≈ 2,700)		Other non- parental care (n ≈ 650)		Parental care (n ≈ 1,350)
Variable	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
School readiness outcomes at kindergarten
Cognitive outcomes
Expressive language	−0.17	1.06	0.14^**	0.86	0.23^**	0.86	0.04^**	1.01	−0.08	1.07
Early readings	−0.31	0.91	0.17^**	0.93	0.21^**	0.91	−0.19	0.90	−0.18^*	0.97
Mathematics	−0.31	0.88	0.13^**	0.92	0.28^**	0.91	−0.10^**	0.93	−0.15^**	0.97
Socio-emotional outcomes
Conduct problems	0.18	0.92	0.05	0.87	−0.02^**	0.83	−0.02^**	0.77	−0.07^**	0.85
Hyperactivity/Inattention	0.19	0.88	0.02^**	0.85	−0.09^**	0.81	0.01^*	0.83	−0.09^**	0.83
Pro-social behaviors	−0.03	0.70	0.08^*	0.66	0.11^**	0.68	−0.05	0.66	0.02	0.67
Child care arrangements
9-months
Parental care	0.50	0.50	0.47	0.50	0.45	0.50	0.33^**	0.47	0.69^**	0.46
Relative care	0.31	0.46	0.24^*	0.43	0.23^**	0.42	0.42^**	0.49	0.19^**	0.39
Non-relative care	0.12	0.33	0.17^*	0.38	0.20^**	0.40	0.22^**	0.41	0.09	0.29
Center-based care	0.07	0.26	0.11^*	0.32	0.12^**	0.32	0.04	0.19	0.03^**	0.18
2-years
Parental care	0.51	0.50	0.46	0.50	0.45^**	0.50	0.32^**	0.47	0.75^**	0.44
Relative care	0.24	0.43	0.19^**	0.39	0.15^**	0.35	0.36^**	0.48	0.11^**	0.32
Non-relative care	0.11	0.31	0.16^*	0.36	0.19^**	0.39	0.25^**	0.43	0.08	0.27
Center-based care	0.14	0.34	0.20^**	0.40	0.22^**	0.41	0.07^**	0.26	0.06^**	0.24
Child characteristics
Boys	0.50	0.50	0.51	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.55	0.50	0.49	0.50
Age in months at 9-months	10.41	1.90	10.63	1.93	10.45	1.99	10.31	1.83	10.36	1.86
Race/ethnicity at 9-months
Non-Hispanic White	0.24	0.43	0.54^**	0.50	0.67^**	0.47	0.42^**	0.49	0.45^**	0.50
Non-Hispanic Black	0.29	0.45	0.17^**	0.37	0.09^**	0.29	0.16^**	0.37	0.12^**	0.33
Hispanic	0.39	0.49	0.22^**	0.41	0.15^**	0.36	0.35	0.48	0.36	0.48
Non-Hispanic Asian	0.01	0.11	0.04^**	0.19	0.04^**	0.19	0.02	0.14	0.02	0.15
Other	0.06	0.24	0.04	0.19	0.05	0.21	0.05	0.22	0.05	0.21
Low birth weight at birth	0.08	0.26	0.07	0.25	0.07	0.25	0.07	0.26	0.07	0.26
Prematurity at birth	0.14	0.35	0.12	0.33	0.11	0.31	0.12	0.33	0.12	0.32
Multiple birth at birth	0.04	0.19	0.04	0.18	0.05	0.21	0.03	0.17	0.03	0.18
Breast-feeding at 9-months
None	0.41	0.49	0.27^**	0.44	0.22^**	0.42	0.35	0.48	0.32^**	0.46
<3 months	0.24	0.43	0.22	0.41	0.22	0.42	0.26	0.44	0.21	0.41
3~6 months	0.17	0.38	0.24^**	0.43	0.20	0.40	0.21	0.41	0.19	0.39
7 months plus	0.17	0.38	0.28^**	0.45	0.36^**	0.48	0.18	0.38	0.28^**	0.45
Number of siblings at 9-months
No sibling	0.42	0.49	0.39	0.49	0.44	0.50	0.40	0.49	0.34^**	0.47
One	0.27	0.44	0.38^**	0.49	0.36^**	0.48	0.32	0.47	0.33^*	0.47
Two or more	0.31	0.46	0.23^**	0.42	0.20^**	0.40	0.28	0.45	0.33	0.47
Health status at 2-years
Poor/Fair	0.04	0.21	0.02^*	0.15	0.01^**	0.11	0.03	0.16	0.03^*	0.16
Good	0.12	0.32	0.08^*	0.27	0.09	0.29	0.14	0.34	0.10	0.29
Very good	0.31	0.46	0.26	0.44	0.25^**	0.43	0.25	0.43	0.27	0.45
Excellent	0.53	0.50	0.64^**	0.48	0.65^**	0.48	0.59	0.49	0.61^**	0.49
Pre-treatment scores at 2-years
BSF (Bayley Short Form)	47.53	9.19	50.24^**	10.94	52.27^**	9.86	48.30	8.81	49.36^**	9.64
ITSC (Infant/Toddler Symptom Checklist)	9.56	4.31	8.85^**	4.26	8.65^**	4.11	8.68^**	4.27	8.44^**	4.36
Maternal characteristics
Age at birth	24.95	5.96	28.25^**	5.90	29.23^**	5.89	26.51^**	6.13	26.66^**	6.07
Mom lived with bio-mother until 16	0.82	0.39	0.87^*	0.34	0.88^**	0.32	0.84	0.36	0.84	0.36
Mom lived with bio-father until 16	0.50	0.50	0.64^**	0.48	0.69^**	0.46	0.60^**	0.49	0.60^**	0.49
Married at birth	0.47	0.50	0.72^**	0.45	0.80^**	0.40	0.59^**	0.49	0.68^**	0.47
Depressed at 9-months	0.52	0.51	0.40^**	0.45	0.36^**	0.41	0.45^*	0.53	0.46	0.50
Employment status at 2-years
Not working	0.53	0.50	0.40^**	0.49	0.38^**	0.48	0.29^**	0.45	0.64^**	0.48
Full-time	0.33	0.47	0.41^**	0.49	0.38	0.48	0.53^**	0.50	0.19^**	0.39
Part-time	0.14	0.34	0.19^*	0.40	0.25^**	0.43	0.18	0.38	0.17	0.37
Foreign-born	0.31	0.46	0.21^**	0.41	0.15^**	0.35	0.20^**	0.40	0.30	0.46
English is primary home language at 2-years	0.70	0.46	0.83^**	0.37	0.88^**	0.33	0.79^**	0.41	0.71	0.45
Health status at 2-years
Poor/Fair	0.12	0.33	0.07^**	0.26	0.04^**	0.19	0.10	0.30	0.12	0.33
Good	0.32	0.47	0.20^**	0.40	0.19^**	0.39	0.26	0.44	0.28	0.45
Very good	0.32	0.47	0.33	0.47	0.39^**	0.49	0.32	0.47	0.30	0.46
Excellent	0.25	0.43	0.40^**	0.49	0.38^**	0.49	0.32^*	0.47	0.30	0.46
Parenting behaviors
KIDI at 9-months	5.73	2.13	7.00^**	2.12	7.39^**	2.10	6.50^**	2.18	6.30^**	2.23
Cognitively stimulating activities at 2-years	8.80	2.12	9.34^**	2.03	9.70^**	1.87	8.99	2.09	9.18^**	2.06
Having sleeping routines at 2-years	0.77	0.42	0.87^**	0.34	0.89^**	0.31	0.83^*	0.37	0.82^*	0.39
Eating dinner together per week at 2-years	5.21	2.35	5.38	2.09	5.51^**	2.05	5.33	2.37		1.99
No spanking at 2-years	0.60	0.49	0.63	0.48	0.68^**	0.47	0.61	0.49	0.61	0.49
Family characteristics
Parent’s education at birth
Below high school (0-11)	0.23	0.42	0.07^**	0.26	0.05^**	0.22	0.15^**	0.36	0.20	0.40
High school (12)	0.41	0.49	0.21^**	0.41	0.13^**	0.34	0.34^*	0.47	0.30^**	0.46
Some college (13-15)	0.29	0.46	0.32	0.47	0.29	0.45	0.30	0.46	0.31	0.46
Above college (16+)	0.06	0.24	0.40^**	0.49	0.53^**	0.50	0.21^**	0.41	0.19^**	0.39
Parental occupational prestige at 9-months	1.78	2.05	2.53^**	2.49	2.84^**	2.60	2.79^**	2.31	1.38^**	2.05
Family income at 9-months
$0-$20000	0.48	0.50	0.19^**	0.39	0.12^**	0.33	0.24^**	0.43	0.33^**	0.47
$20001-$35000	0.32	0.47	0.18^**	0.38	0.17^**	0.37	0.31	0.46	0.32	0.47
$35001-$50000	0.16	0.37	0.37^**	0.48	0.36^**	0.48	0.30^**	0.46	0.27^**	0.44
$50001+	0.04	0.20	0.27^**	0.44	0.35^**	0.48	0.15^**	0.35	0.07	0.26
Family income at 2-years
$0-$20000	0.46	0.50	0.17^**	0.38	0.13^**	0.34	0.24^**	0.43	0.32^**	0.47
$20001-$35000	0.31	0.46	0.19^**	0.39	0.14^**	0.34	0.29	0.46	0.29	0.45
$35001-$50000	0.19	0.39	0.36^**	0.48	0.35^**	0.48	0.31^**	0.46	0.31^**	0.46
$50001+	0.04	0.20	0.28^**	0.45	0.39^**	0.49	0.16^**	0.37	0.08	0.27
Lived in urban area at 2-years	0.82	0.38	0.88^**	0.32	0.87^*	0.34	0.83	0.38	0.83	0.38
Region of country at 2-years
Northeast	0.15	0.36	0.22^**	0.42	0.19	0.39	0.10	0.31	0.09^**	0.28
Midwest	0.18	0.39	0.13^*	0.33	0.26^**	0.44	0.27^**	0.44	0.22	0.41
South	0.41	0.49	0.48^*	0.50	0.31^**	0.46	0.36	0.48	0.40	0.49
West	0.26	0.44	0.17^**	0.37	0.24	0.43	0.27	0.44	0.30	0.46
Mom or child received WIC at 2-years	0.71	0.45	0.33^**	0.47	0.24^**	0.43	0.43^**	0.49	0.54^**	0.50
Family members received FS at 2-years	0.41	0.49	0.17^**	0.38	0.11^**	0.32	0.21^**	0.41	0.26^**	0.44
Family members received TANF at 2-years	0.14	0.35	0.05^**	0.22	0.04^**	0.20	0.08^**	0.26	0.08^**	0.27

Note. Sample sizes were rounded to the nearest 50, due to IES reporting rules. All numbers were weighted using ‘W1R0’ for the 9-month wave and ‘W2R0’ for the 2-year wave. Two-tailed t tests were conducted to compare means between HS participants and other children who belonged to each specific type of care arrangement before propensity score matching. The outcome measures were standardized to have a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. WIC = Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; FS = Food Stamp Program; TANF = Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

p < .05.

^**

p < .01.