Long-Term Effects of Head Start on Maternal Mental Health and Parenting Trajectories Among Low-Income Families

Background:

The goal of Head Start program aims not only to improve children’s comprehensive development, but also to support parents so they can help their children grow based on two-generational model. Head Start participation is associated with improvements in children’s outcomes. Although Head Start Performance Standards explicitly emphasize family engagement and parental well-being—including parental mental health—as core components of program implementation, empirical evidence on parental outcomes remains relatively underdeveloped. In particular, few studies have examined whether Head Start participation is associated with long-term trajectories of parental mental health and parenting. To address this gap, the present study examines the long-term impact of Head Start participation compared with other types of early childhood education and care arrangements on parental mental health and parenting behaviors among low income families with children. Using two nationally representative longitudinal datasets, this study assesses whether Head Start is associated with differences in parental mental health trajectories and parenting outcomes over time.Top of Form

Method:
Data and Samples. Based on the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS; n = 3,605) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort 2011 (ECLS-K:2011; n = 6,095), samples are restricted to families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line and children enrolled in Head Start.

Measures. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) type classified into exclusive parental care, relative/home-based care, center-based care, school-based care (ECLS-K only), and Head Start (reference group). Outcomes include maternal depression/anxiety (ECLS-K) and parental engagement/aggravation parenting (FFCWS).

Analytic Strategy. Latent growth curve models are estimated in Mplus 8.3 using maximum likelihood estimation. Models assess intercept and slope trajectories of maternal mental health and parenting from early childhood through middle childhood/adolescence. Latent growth factors are regressed on baseline covariates, including childcare type, child, maternal, and household characteristics, with Head Start as the reference category.

Results:

In the ECLS-K sample, compared with Head Start, mothers whose children were in relative care showed significantly higher initial depressive symptoms. Over time, mothers in exclusive parental care (b = 0.19, SE = 0.08, p = .015) and school-based care (b = 0.20, SE = 0.10, p = .032) experienced greater increases in depressive symptoms. Initial parental involvement was lower for exclusive parental care and relative care, with steeper declines for exclusive parental care (b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p = .001) and private care (b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p = .024), relative to Head Start.

In the FFCWS, no significant differences were found in parental aggravation. However, center-based care was associated with lower baseline anxiety compared to Head Start (b = -0.212, SE = 0.077, p = .006), but a steeper increase over time (b = 0.068, SE = 0.026, p = .009).

Implication:

Head Start demonstrates long-term benefits for maternal mental health and parenting engagement, highlighting its value as a two-generation intervention. Expanding access and addressing enrollment barriers for low-income families in parental or relative care settings, along with strengthening parent-focused supports, may reduce disparities in parental well-being which, in turn improve child outcomes.