So Much More Than ABCs: Families’ Experiences with Head Start

In 2024, the Center for the Study of Social Policy conducted qualitative research with parents, caregivers, and child care providers that highlights the critical role that Head Start plays in families’ lives.

This brief synthesizes the experiences of the 12 families whose children attended Head Start, from the perspective of the parents and caregivers we interviewed. Our research underscores how Head Start not only nurtures the growth and development of the children who attend its programs, but is deeply embedded in communities and a critical connector in the larger network of supports for families with young children, especially for the predominantly Black, Indigenous, and immigrant families with low incomes who we interviewed.

(8 pp)