Roggman, L. A., Boyce, L. K., Cook, G. A., Christiansen, K., & Jones, D. (2004). Playing with Daddy: Social toy play, Early Head Start, and developmental outcomes. Fathering, 2(1), 83–108. https:/doi.org/10.3149/fth.0201.83

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 74 families

Population:

• Age — Children: 14–36 months; Parents: Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 97% White
• Gender — Children: Not specified; Parents: 100% Male
• Status — Participants were low-income families eligible for Head Start.

Location/Institution: Rural Utah

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used a subset of the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to examine father-toddler social toy play in relation to Early Head Start (EHS) program, EHS enrollment, fathers’ psychosocial well-being, and children’s developmental outcomes in a sample of 74 father-toddler dyads. Participants were randomly assigned to either the EHS program or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II), the Behavior Rating Scales of the BSID-II, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Parenting Stress Index, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Results indicated that EHS fathers engaged in more complex play at 24 months. Greater complexity of father-toddler social play predicted better cognitive and social outcomes for children, and this correlation was stronger in the EHS group. Statistical analysis showed that depression was correlated with lower play scores and that participation in EHS reduced the influence of this factor. Limitations include selection bias, lack of generalizability due to gender and ethnicity, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, C., Raikes, H., Constantine, J., Boller, K., Brooks-Gunn, J., Chazan-Cohen, R., Tarullo, L. B., Brady-Smith, C., Fuligni, A. S., Schochet, P. Z., Paulsell, D., & Vogel, C. (2005). The effectiveness of Early Head Start for 3-year-old children and their parents: Lessons for policy and programs. Developmental Psychology, 41(6), 885–901. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.41.6.885

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 3,001 families

Population:

• Age — Children: 3 years; Parents: Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 37% White, 34% African American, 24% Hispanic, and 5% Other
• Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female; Parents: 100% Female
• Status — Participants were families eligible to enroll in Head Start.

Location/Institution: 17 Early Head Start research programs in the United States

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Early Head Start (EHS) program. Participants were randomly assigned to EHS or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Mental Development Index (MDI), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPV-III), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the National Health Interview Survey, and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). Results indicate that by 3 years of age, EHS children performed better in cognitive and language development, showed higher engagement with the parent in the play activity, and more sustained attention than did controls. Parents in the EHS programs were more emotionally supportive, provided more learning and language opportunities, read to their children more, and spanked less. The strongest effects were found for those programs that provided a mix of home-visiting and center-based services. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to gender, reliability of self-reported measures, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Chazan‐Cohen, R., Ayoub, C., Pan, B. A., Roggman, L., Raikes, H., McKelvey, L., Whiteside-Mansell, L., & Hart, A. (2007). It takes time: Impacts of Early Head Start that lead to reductions in maternal depression two years later. Infant Mental Health Journal, 28(2), 151–170. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20127

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 3,000 families

Population:

• Age — Children: 5 years; Parents: Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 37% White, 34% African American, 24% Hispanic, and 5% Other
• Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female; Parents: 100% Female
• Status — Participants were families eligible to enroll in Head Start.

Location/Institution: 17 Early Head Start research programs in the United States

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to present findings from a follow-up study in the spring prior to children entering kindergarten when a positive program impact emerged for reducing maternal depression. Participants were randomly assigned to be enrolled in an Early Head Start (EHS) program or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Mental Development Index (MDI), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPV-III), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the National Health Interview Survey, the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), and the Parenting Stress Index. Results indicate that a number of factors affected by attending an EHS program had a delayed effect in reducing maternal depression for those families. The most important family mediators seemed to be reduction in parental distress and reduction in spanking. The major child mediators were reduction in aggressive behavior and higher cognitive development. Limitations include lack of generalizability due to gender, reliability of self-reported measures, and small sample size due to attrition, and missing data.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 2 years.

Ayoub, C., O'Connor, E., Rappolt-Schlictmann, G., Vallotton, C., Raikes, H., & Chazan-Cohen, R. (2009). Cognitive skill performance among young children living in poverty: Risk, change, and the promotive effects of Early Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24(3), 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.04.001

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 2,764

Population:

• Age — Children: 1–3 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Children: 43% Caucasian, 34% African American, and 23% Hispanic
• Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female
• Status — Participants were mothers and toddlers eligible to enroll in Head Start.

Location/Institution: 17 Early Head Start (EHS) program sites in 16 states across the United States

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to examine associations between risk factors and the protective and/or promotive effects of Early Head Start (EHS) on children’s cognitive skill performance compared to a national sample. Participants were randomly assigned to be enrolled in an EHS program or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Mental Development Index subscale of the Bayley Scale of Infant Development-II (BSID-II), the emotionality scale of the Buss and Plomin Emotionality, Adaptability, and Sociability Inventory (EASI-II), and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). Results indicate that children who were enrolled in EHS had higher cognitive skill scores at three years of age than their peers who were not in EHS. Limitations include EHS program effects may be underestimated, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Green, B. L., Ayoub, C., Bartlett, J. D., Von Ende, A., Furrer, C., Chazan-Cohen, R., Vallotton, C., & Klevens, J. (2014). The effect of Early Head Start on child welfare system involvement: A first look at longitudinal child maltreatment outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 42, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.044

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 1,247

Population:

• Age — Children: Mean=11.6–14.3 years; Parents: Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Parents: 45% Caucasian, 31% Hispanic, 19% African American, and 4% Other
• Gender — Children: 51% Male and 49% Female; Parents: 99% Female
• Status — Participants were mothers and toddlers eligible to enroll in Head Start.

Location/Institution: 7 Early Head Start program sites in 6 states across the United States

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used a subset of the same sample as Love et al. (2005). The purpose of the study was to use administrative data from state child welfare agencies to examine the impact of Early Head Start (EHS) on documented abuse and neglect among children from seven of the original seventeen programs in the national EHS randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to be enrolled in an EHS program or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Mental Development Index subscale of the Bayley Scale of Infant Development-II (BSID-II), the emotionality scale of the Buss and Plomin Emotionality, Adaptability, and Sociability Inventory (EASI-II), and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). Results indicate that children in EHS had significantly fewer child welfare encounters between the ages of five and nine years than did children in the control group, and that EHS slowed the rate of subsequent encounters. Additionally, compared to children in the control group, children in EHS were less likely to have a substantiated report of physical or sexual abuse, but more likely to have a substantiated report of neglect. Limitations include possible missing data, sample size, and attrition.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 10 years.