Headstart and Public School: An Investigation of Collaboration and Disconnection in Early Childhood

Persistent achievement gaps for low-income children that start before kindergarten entry call attention to the need for quality early childhood experiences. Head Start (HS) is a federally funded preschool program that provides comprehensive services for low-income children and their families (≤ 100% FPL and up to 30% of enrollment for 130% FPL) including health, education, and parenting support. In Iowa, 18 grantees (i.e., agencies) serve approximately 6,500 preschool children across 92. Given increases in state-funded universal preschool, we need to better understand how HS programs in Iowa collaborate with schools to best serve children. This study used data collected by the Iowa HS State Collaboration Office for an annual needs assessment to examine collaborations between HS Grantees, Local Education Agencies, and other entities. Findings indicate that 70% of local school districts have no collaboration, coordination, or communication with HS grantees. Of the HS grantees that do report collaboration, 70% say it is “not at all difficult”. These findings provide rich opportunities for improving statewide collaboration and coordination among critical state partners in the provision of high-quality early childhood experiences for vulnerable children. Future research could examine how these relationships relate to later school readiness outcomes to further enhance quality improvement