The Head Start Policy Program Evaluation Paper Example

Introduction

The proposed program to revise the Head Start Policy is the Early Head Start (EHS) program. The target social problem is the same as that addressed by the Head Start Policy, that is, the challenges faced by children from poor socioeconomic backgrounds when they begin schooling. The intervening program is focused on improving the Head Start Policy so that it is better enabled to facilitate equality in education among the school going children. Inequality in education based on socioeconomic factor is demonstrated by students from poor background scoring low grades when compared to their more affluent counterparts.

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The program targets learners from low-income backgrounds and is comprehensive. The program is focused on being comprehensive to improve not only the education services of early childhood but also health and family support. While the target population of the Head Start Policy is children from the ages of three to five year, the new program will also target those children under the age of three years, including the infants long enough before becoming of age. Moreover, the Head Start Policy is usually focused on a center-based nature, but some providing minimal home visits. However, the new program is both home-based and center-based, proving significant in supporting the children from low-income backgrounds.

The rationale for the New Program

The new program works well in collaboration with the existing Head Start Policy, hence works to improve the policy. That is because it is more useful to provide emotional support and intellectual stimulation sooner, to the child having challenges, than to wait until they have developed further. In general, the rationale put simply as the sooner the intervention, the better for the development of the child. According to observational studies, the majority of the children in poor socioeconomic background receive little emotional support and other stimulation, when compared to their counterparts from better social and economic backgrounds. For instance, based on the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), when children from low socioeconomic backgrounds undertake vocabulary test, there is a significant deviation by one standard, when compared to the rest of the children. A standard is the number of words which a student can tell their meaning, hence by one standard deviation that means the student from challenging socioeconomic environment can give one thousand words meaning less than an average child. Therefore, the new program is aimed at addressing such risk factors to place the school going children at the same level as the standard children from a better socioeconomic background.

The new program is an improvement as the current Head Start Policy is center-based, whereas the new focus here is home-based. The policy is therefore improved to address the needs of the children when they are not of age to start attending school formally. The local families are supported through increased funding which is integral in impacting the wellness of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Potential Oppositions and Criticism of the Program

The early program proposed to improve the Head Start policy does not focus on various fundamental factors which are attributed to the academic excellence of a child in the future, according to several critiques of the new program. Some of the factors attributed to the excellence of the child in the future include attention, reading, and math skills. Critics believe the new program does not emphasize on the development of these vital skills as the children are not evaluated objectively during the start of the program. Moreover, follow-up should be done upon exit of the program to determine the potential progress made and the various potential setback to be used in making future amends.

There are critics based on the fact the program does not offer a lasting impact on the development of school going, children. That is because it takes a relatively short time for the child to interact with the program. Also, it is considered challenging to train the parents to develop ways of ensuring they positively interact with their child at home when no follow-up activity is undertaken. Lack of follow-up activities makes it possible to be sure the program will have the full impact which is expected. Positive interaction between the parent and child is known to enrich the development of the child, which is the specific purpose of the Head Start Policy.

The new program focused on the improvement of the Head Start Policy is criticized for targeting the Hispanic community mostly. The Hispanic community is considered a minority group in the society; hence researching with that ethnicity is a great opportunity. The Spain-speaking group of children is more useful to facilitate the research due to limited fluctuations with regards to data collection in the field. Critics believe the program should not be inclined to only one language, but span around to consider other languages for instance English.

We live at a time when information technology is quite advanced; hence the activities of the society are expected to integrate the use of technology. In the initial stages, the program does not use any computer and electronic technology to aid in the transfer of instructions to the parents being taught on how to develop a proper relationship with their children. Critics argue the program is bound to fail as computer technology would play an integral role to ensure children and their caregivers are incorporated with the required skills for academic excellence in the future. For instance, the use of videotapes and other computer games ensure the parent-child relationship is developed through joint participation in the event. Moreover, enhancing the child's vocabulary can be facilitated through computer-based learning. Computer-based learning is also fundamental in the development of cognitive, math, and executive functioning among others (Jenkins et al., 2016).

Relation of the Program with Head Start Policy

That new program fit with the existing Head Start Policy as both are based on enriching the children from low socio-economic to acquire equal educational opportunity when growing up. Early Head Start program stimulates the proper development of the child both cognitively and emotionally, which is also an aim of the Head Start Policy. However, the Head Start Policy focusses more on center-based care, whereas, the new improvement program is based on both center-based and home-based care. Therefore, the focus of the home visiting service by the new program is on the interaction between the parent and their developing child, including other factors in the environment influencing the development of the child.

The Head Start Policy during its inception was aimed at ensuring poverty is alleviated, and the children from low socio-economic backgrounds should live a proper life and generally improved wellness. The new program when implemented, it is focused on not only having an impact on the child in the infantry stage but also have a lasting impression of their welfare. The welfare of the children can be upheld by guiding their caregivers on the right ways on transitioning from poverty into living financially stable lives with little dependence on external handouts. That is possible through the incorporation of training opportunities in delivering the program. Once completed, the parents can then secure stable employment opportunities with an improved income stream. Moreover, the development of a revised formula for funds dispersion will ensure the vast low-income communities benefit by improving their welfare (Coady et al., 2012). The emphasis of dispersion of funds is to reach those communities which fully deserve. However, some funds may be channeled to communities where they are not so poor, as that will enable them to improve on some development programs.

Cross-System issues impacting the Program

The proposed program which aims at ensuring children are enabled to obtain equal educational opportunities is impacted by other issues which include; the accessibility of parental skills training, programs to address the physical and emotional needs of the participants, employment opportunities, housing, security, and nutritional services among others (Chen & Eisenberg, 2012). These issues are prone within the community of people with low socio-economical standards. These factors impact the proposed program for improving the Head Start Policy either through upholding or diminishing it. Therefore, it is critical sufficient resources are put in place, usually through collaborative efforts by like-minded bodies, which will ensure the program for improving the head Start Policy becomes a success.

The proposed program for improving the Head Start Policy is not only center-based but also provide home services. With that effect, parents need proper training on developing an effective parent-child relationship to ensure the success of the program at home. Moreover, offerings of employment opportunities for the parents will ensure the program is upheld, as the family will have a financial stream, hence improving the welfare of the children under their care. Proper nutrition is akin to healthy physical development and also a cognitive improvement (Wellman & Cross, 2001). Children are having access to nutritional feed become healthy hence providing them with the ability to use the educational opportunities. Substance abuse has also been recognized as one of the issues leading to increased insecurity rate in the poor socio-economic. The use of drugs increases the crime rate as individuals get involves in hostile acts of theft and even murder to obtain monies which they use to obtain drugs. Theft to already low-income families worsen their situation, and that impacts negatively to the welfare of the children.

Strategies for Improving the Cross-System Issues

Children are brought up in the various environment which impacts their present and future wellbeing. That is because of the presence of various factors existing in their environment. Therefore, effective strategies need to be devised for the promotion of proper wellbeing of the children, hence enabling them to get the academic advantage as the normal children in the society (Child Welfare, 2019). To improve the welfare of the children, proper strategies employed will improve the cross-system issues for the better. The strategies to be developed require the participation of various service providers and agencies working in collaboration.

Collaborations among various service providers are vital to ensure the success of the program; consequently, the Head Start Policy will be improved. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) can take part in the program by research to identify and evaluate the type of nutritional needs the children lack, hence collaborating with other donors to aid the children. Moreover, the government can collaborate with investors in the private sector to create more employment opportunities for the parents, as that will improve their financial wellness. A conducive business environment can only be created in the presence of peace; therefore, security agencies should be incorporated to facilitate much-needed peace. The police service plays a vital role in ensuring law and order, hence the incorporation into the program is an essential strategy for counteracting the cross-system issues.

The incorporation of child welfare agency into the program is playing an essential role in ensuring the levels of crime is manageable in society. That is through the development of rehabilitation programs of parents and other members of the society who are invo...