Early childhood educators play a critical role in the lives of young children, especially through their sensitive interactions. Educators' capacities to engage in high-quality interactions are shaped by their mental health. Studies examining early childhood educators' mental health often focus on psychopathology or negative aspects of mental…

Research Findings: Very little research has examined whether the contributions of Head Start's Family Service Workers (FSWs) and family partnership services influence family and child outcomes. Using data from 215 families in the 2014 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), this study used structural equation models to examine…

Increasingly, parents of young children need postsecondary credentials to compete in the labor market and meet basic family needs. This study uses a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of Career"Advance," a two-generation education intervention that offers postsecondary career training in healthcare for parents paired with…

School systems have been implementing trauma-informed curriculums to offset any trauma students may be experiencing. In the Head Start classroom, many students enter with trauma and display behaviors that cause secondary traumatic stress for the educators working with them. Exposure to students' traumas can cause educators to experience secondary…

Since Head Start's inception, mental health has been an important component of their service delivery. The Head Start Performance Standards provide a foundation for programs to design and deliver mental health services. Mental Health Consultants are the professionals who provide these services. Head Start has a robust history of building…