Overview of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project: February 1998

The Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project launches an intense study of the new Early Head Start program and simultaneously begins a far-reaching longitudinal study of infants and toddlers in low-income families. The Early Head Start study will include approximately 3,000 families living in 17 diverse communities that reflect the socioeconomic and political context of low-income families in the United States in the late 1990s. We will measure a broad range of outcomes, collect extensive information about the programs and the individual families' expenses with them, and conduct state-of-the-art analyses to link experiences with outcomes. The findings from this national evaluation and longitudinal study will have the potential to influence policies affecting the lives of low-income American families with young children.