UCLA Early Head Start Program: A Comprehensive Overview

The UCLA Early Head Start program is a vital component of the national Head Start initiative, aimed at providing comprehensive services to economically disadvantaged children and their families. This article delves into the various aspects of the UCLA Early Head Start program, exploring its services, impact, and management structure.

Head Start: A National Perspective

Launched in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, Head Start is a national program with locations across the country. It addresses the needs of preschool-aged children from low-income families. In addition to scholastic curriculum, the program offers health screenings, meals, and referrals to social services as needed.

UCLA Head Start Program: Services Offered

The UCLA Head Start Program provides a range of services designed to support both children and their families. These services are offered at no cost to participating families.

Home Visits

Trained Early Childhood Educators conduct home visits to support parents as their child's first teacher. These weekly 1½ hour visits focus on:

Child development
Health
Nutrition
School readiness activities
Engaging parents in goal setting for themselves, their child, and their family
Improving parenting skills and using the home as a learning environment
Utilizing an evidence-based curriculum to support the acquisition of school readiness skills

Socializations

Parents participate in a parent-and-me group ("Socialization") twice a month, providing a group experience for children. These socializations offer opportunities for children to engage with their peers, fostering social and emotional development.

Family Services

The program provides various family services, including:

Leadership opportunities
Activities that encourage engagement in community events
Goal setting with families
Referrals to local community programs
Access to professionals

Access to Professionals

Enrolled families have access to a range of professionals, including:

Registered Dietician: providing nutrition information and counseling
Mental Health Counselors: offering individual appointments and support groups
Disability Services

Long-Term Impact of Head Start

The long-term effects of Head Start have been a subject of debate. Evaluating these effects can be challenging because eligible children often come from low-income families and neighborhoods. Comparing them with ineligible children, who generally come from better-resourced backgrounds, can be misleading.

A study from UCLA, the University of Nebraska, and The World Bank published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, examined the education and economic productivity of approximately 22.5 million individuals born between 1950 and 1980. The study found that those eligible for Head Start (children aged 5 and under when the program was available in their county of birth) had higher high school and college graduation rates than those ineligible. The study also found that Head Start eligibility raised average annual earnings slightly. Disability claims among men who had been eligible were about 42% lower (4.8 percentage points) than in the ineligible group, the study finds. Among eligible women, poverty rates were 32% (4.4 percentage points) lower.

This suggests that Head Start can have lasting positive effects on its graduates, leading to improved educational outcomes, increased economic productivity, and reduced reliance on public assistance.

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UCLA Head Start Management Fellows Program

The UCLA Head Start Management Fellows Program offers a unique opportunity for Head Start executives to participate in an intensive leadership and management development training session at UCLA Anderson School of Management. The program is designed from a strategic planning perspective.

Program Overview

Since 1991, the program has trained over 1,700 Head Start directors and managers who provide services to nearly 1 million children and their families each day. The competency-based curriculum focuses on the leadership and management skills, knowledge, and abilities most relevant to Head Start/Early Head Start programs. Several case studies from actual Head Start programs are used to illustrate key concepts and enhance learning.

The Management Improvement Project (MIP) is the practical application component of the program, allowing participants to translate the UCLA program curriculum to improve performance at their own organizations.

Program Details

Participants are responsible for a registration fee of $3,100 plus travel expenses for themselves and a co-participant.

The 2025 National Head Start/Early Head Start Management Fellows Program (NDMI) will begin with a Live Learning Event delivered in person on the UCLA Campus from March 4-6, 2025.

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Strategic Consulting Opportunity

The Price Center Management Development Programs for Community Based Organizations offers an opportunity to become a strategic consultant. Consultants work in a team and facilitate learning sessions focused on problem solving, strategy and leadership. They also serve as coaches for participants as they conduct organizational assessments, project planning and goal setting. Ultimately, consultants help participants generate a strategic plan that addresses an identified organizational weakness or a business opportunity that will advance the impact of the organization.

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