Children in foster care are automatically eligible for Head Start and Early Head Start programs, regardless of their caregivers’ incomes. However, children involved with the child welfare system who remain in the care of their families, including families who are receiving family preservation services, do not have automatic eligibility.

Studies examining the impact of the federally-funded child care subsidy program offer insights into the benefit of expanding Head Start eligibility to children involved in the child welfare system but not yet in foster care. The federal Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) provides funding to states for child care subsidy programs serving families with low incomes. Research has found that receiving a child care subsidy reduces a child’s risk of experiencing abuse and neglect.

States have flexibility in setting eligibility standards for their child care subsidy programs. In a study of state CCDF policies, nine states were found to have highly accommodating policies for children with Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement, which included waiving family copays and activity requirements, and prioritizing subsidies for CPS-involved families. States with more inclusive eligibility policies for CPS-involved families had lower average rates of removals of children from their homes within their respective child welfare populations, compared to states with limited or no accommodations.

Providing automatic Head Start eligibility to families involved in the child welfare system could similarly expand access to child care for families with risk for child abuse and neglect, and help mitigate the impact of maltreatment and home removals. Expanding Head Start eligibility requires action from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) or Congress to amend eligibility criteria in the Head Start Act.

The Head Start program is administered by the federal Office of Head Start (OHS), within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each year, Congress authorizes the amount of federal spending for the Head Start program. Federal funding for Head Start faces historic uncertainty. Head Start is currently funded to reach only 51 percent of preschool age children living below the poverty threshold and 10 percent of infants and toddlers from families below the poverty threshold. To maintain existing program capacity and expand access to underserved children and families, sustained and increased federal investment is essential. Advocates and policymakers should prioritize Head Start funding in the congressional appropriations process to support enrollment growth, staffing needs, and long-term program stability. 

The Head Start enrollment process can be lengthy and burdensome for families, deterring applications from eligible families. Despite the unique multi-generational family support that Head Start offers, families sometimes choose other early childhood care and education options due to the burden of paperwork, eligibility requirements, and income documentation for Head Start. Navigating the enrollment process can be especially difficult for families involved with the child welfare system. 

Families who are not automatically eligible for Head Start or Early Head Start programming — such as those not experiencing homelessness, not in foster care, or not receiving public assistance like SNAP or TANF — must prove their income eligibility under the Federal Poverty Line. This process can be burdensome and requires significant paperwork such as tax returns, pay stubs, unemployment records, housing cost documentation, or other proof of income. Gathering these documents can be especially difficult for families who have experienced housing instability in the past, trauma, or work in informal or cash-based roles. 

In addition to income verification, families may be asked to provide multiple forms of documentation proving the child’s age, residency, medical records, complete an eligibility interview, and complete a packet of application paperwork that can total 25 to 50 pages. Once selected for enrollment, families are often required to complete paperwork and source documentation in short timeframes. These requirements create significant barriers, particularly when programs are understaffed and unable to provide the support required throughout the enrollment process to guide families through complex paperwork, follow up on missing documents, or offer language assistance. 

Streamlining the enrollment process by reducing duplicative documentation, reducing repetitive questions throughout the application process, and creating digital enrollment tools specific to Head Start would improve enrollment for families and ensure they have access to the benefits of Head Start and Early Head Start. 

Head Start and Early Head Start can effectively reduce child maltreatment during and after families’ participation in the program. A study that followed children who enrolled in Early Head Start between the ages of two and three until they were age 16 found that participation in Early Head Start led to up to 22 percent reductions in child welfare involvement throughout a child’s life. The children were also less likely to experience physical or sexual abuse in their childhood. The study found that the Early Head Start program improved parenting practices, parenting stress, child development, and reduced family conflict, which in turn led to long-term reductions in child maltreatment. 

A body of research shows Head Start and Early Head Start promote a broad range of supportive parenting practices. Families in Head Start programs use less physical discipline compared to those in other child care settings or parental care alone. Head Start also improves parents’ emotional supportiveness and involvement in children’s development. 

For children with suspected or substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect, Head Start mitigates the likelihood of future maltreatment and out of home placements. Children enrolled in Early Head Start with one substantiated report of child maltreatment were nearly three times less likely to experience a second report compared to children not enrolled in Early Head Start. In a national sample of children referred to the child welfare system for suspected maltreatment, children in Head Start were 93 percent less likely to be placed in foster care – a benefit not seen in other child care programs or parental and relative care. 

Head Start and Early Head Start programs prevent child maltreatment by addressing child, parenting, and family-level risk factors for child abuse and neglect. Research shows that children enrolled in Head Start make significant gains in cognitive development and self-regulation skills, which reduces the risk for child maltreatment.  

Stressors associated with parenting, and harsh parenting behaviors, are strongly linked with child maltreatment risk. Head Start promotes positive parenting and stable home environments. Program participation reduces parenting stress and family conflict, while fostering emotionally supportive parenting practices. Parents participating in Head Start have reduced child care concerns and demonstrate increases in their own educational attainment. Head Start’s success in reducing child maltreatment and child welfare system involvement are driven by the program’s effectiveness in improving children’s development, parenting practices, and family environments.