Research On The Evolution Process Of Early Head Start(EHS) In The United States

Early Head Start(EHS)Program is the first federally created,intergenerational early intervention program in the history of the United States to provide care and education services for infants 0-3 years old from low-income families,with the goal of helping children get a good start in life.Thus breaking the chain of intergenerational transmission of poverty.Since the implementation of the project in 1995,EHS program has explored an effective way to promote the growth and development of poor infants and young children after nearly 30 years of development.As an extension of Head Start,EHS program have not only promoted the integration of education and care in the United States,but has also become a model for high-quality early childhood care and education services in the United States.Chapter one elaborates the background of the emergence of 0-3 years old infant care and education services in the United States from three aspects of scientific theoretical research,social realistic needs and policy and legal protection,and traces the historical origin of the emergence of EHS program.Chapter two reviews the development of EHS program from guidelines,evaluation projects,financial allocations and other aspects,and divides its evolution into three stages:The initial exploration phase(1994-2008),the rapid development phase(2009-2019)and the adaptation phase(2020-present)found that EHS program has always emphasized the role of connecting countries,communities and families,and through round-the-clock service centers,Personalized home visits and mixed service models have achieved important results in four areas:child development,family development,community building and staff development.Chapter three summarizes the objectives,principles and contents of EHS program and the impact of EHS program on infants and children aged 0-3 years and their families,and summarizes the four main characteristics that run through the development process of EHS program.First,focus on the project service concept of the two generations.EHS program provides quality care and education for pregnant women,infants and young children by developing a continuum of key service strategies from prenatal to age five.Secondly,cooperation and win-win projects to expand ideas.Through the Head Start Parent,Family,and Community Engagement Framework,EHS program improves parent,family,and community engagement strategies and builds more systematic and comprehensive partnerships.Then,continue to diversify the project evaluation model.EHS program’s multiple evaluations demonstrate its measurable and sustainable cost-effectiveness to policymakers and investors,unlocking the full potential of EHS programs to achieve social equity and ultimately economic benefits.Finally,the vertical multi-level project management structure is mainly divided into federal level,regional level and community level management.Chapter four analyzes the influencing factors of EHS program development from the perspective of social policy reform and scientific research innovation.Secondly,it analyzes the problems to be solved in the development of EHS program,namely,the continuous labor crisis and the urgent gap between service supply and demand.Finally,according to the historical limitations and development status of EHS program,the future development trend of EHS program is estimated.Chapter five summarizes the experience of EHS program development and its enlightenment to the construction of 0-3 years old infant care service in China.