Head Start Children Receive More Health, Dental Services Than Other Poor Children; New Analysis of Most Recent Program Data 1/28/2004
From: Gayle Bennett of CLASP, 202-906-8024 or gbennett@clasp.org WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- As the Senate gets ready to vote on its Head Start reauthorization bill, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has released a new policy brief that analyzes the most recently available Head Start data on the comprehensive services that the program provides for children and families. First launched in 1965, Head Start was designed to be a comprehensive school readiness program addressing the emotional, social, health, nutritional, and educational needs of low-income preschoolers. In 2002, 1,002,891 children and 922,499 families received early education and support services at some point in the program year. The new CLASP policy brief presents data from Head Start Program Information Reports from the most recent program year, 2001-2002, and compares them, when possible, to national data on the services low-income children and families receive. Some of the key findings include: -- Eighty-six percent of Head Start children were screened for health and development, whereas a 1997 study found only 28 percent of children enrolled in Medicaid managed care were up-to- date in required screenings, and an estimated 60 percent received no screenings. -- Ninety-three percent of Head Start children received all immunizations possible, while 72 percent of children 19-35 months living below the poverty line and 79 percent of higher-income children received the recommended combined series of vaccines. -- Seventy-eight percent of children in Head Start received a dental exam, while a 2000 General Accounting Office report indicates just over 20 percent of two- to five-year-olds below the poverty level visited the dentist in the preceding year. "A critical part of helping disadvantaged children be 'school ready' is making sure they continue to receive the comprehensive services Head Start provides," said Rachel Schumacher, CLASP Senior Policy Analyst CLASP. "These services can make a real difference in a child's ability to learn." ------ To read the new CLASP policy brief, Head Start Comprehensive Services: A Key Support for Early Learning for Poor Children, visit: http://www.clasp.org/Pubs/Pubs_New. A national, nonprofit organization founded in 1968, CLASP conducts research, policy analysis, technical assistance, and advocacy on issues related to economic security of low-income families with children. |