Head Start Impact Study News Today

Flemmie Pansy Kittrell, the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in nutrition in 1936, showed the importance of good health and developed a program that became the model for Head Start

Abstract: Recently released results from the Head Start Impact Study indicate that the benefits of participating in Head Start almost completely disappear by first grade. While other studies have previously assessed Head Start's effectiveness, this is the only study that used a rigorous experimental design. Given this strongly negative evaluation, Congress should reconsider spending more than $9 billion per year on a program that produces few positive lasting effects.

Evidence continues to mount that government-funded preschool fails to fulfill the promises of its proponents.

During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden reminded everyone that “free” preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds remains part of his agenda. The president left out the part that it would cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars and provide no long-term benefit for children.

The Biden administration’s claim that universal preschool will improve educational outcomes for children disregards the best research. 

Lawmakers recently passed a bill that begins the process for a major expansion of state-subsidized childcare for birth to 5-year-olds rolled out over the next few years.