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Title: Evaluation of the Head Start Program: Additional Evidence from the NLSCM79 Data
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Roy, Anusuya
Evaluation of the Head Start Program: Additional Evidence from the NLSCM79 Data
Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York At Albany, 2003. DAI-A 64/03, p. 1005, Sep 2003
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Child Health; Children, Health Care; Cognitive Development; Head Start; Modeling, Probit; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT); Preschool Children; Siblings

This dissertation is an economic evaluation of Head Start--a program for low-income children of preschool age (3-5 years). The main goal of Head Start includes fostering cognitive development and better health for children. Few studies have addressed the problem of non-random selection in Head Start. First, selection arises because families decide whether or not to send children to any preschool program. A second source of selection is that program administrators select only a certain proportion of children from applicants. If factors deciding participation into the program are not controlled for, then the estimated coefficients will be biased. This dissertation controlled for such non-random selection problems. In this dissertation, the main data source is the Children of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 (NLSCM79). An unbalanced panel was used with multiple children in different families. Outcome measures studied are PPVT scores (cognitive development), BPI scores (behavior problems) and two measures of preventive health care: physical and dental checkups. The third chapter evaluates the PPVT and the BPI scores. A random effects model was specified to control for within family variations and a dummy indicated if the child participated in Head Start. The Head Start dummy was identified by within family variations in enrollment. In addition, "spillover" from elder siblings was introduced by using an interaction between the Head Start dummy and that indicating if any of the elder sibling attended Head Start. Further, state level program variations were also studied. The fourth chapter evaluates the use for preventive care by using a random effects probit model. The model of sibling comparison was extended to a comparison between Head Start family and non Head Start family. In all these chapters, the main result was that Head Start did not significantly affect the outcome measures except for dental checkups. My estimate shows that Head Start increases the prob ability of dental checkups by 8%. In chapter 5, I addressed the question whether Head Start had actually influenced these children initially but faded away with age. Initial significant positive impact was found for all measures except for physical checkups.
Bibliography Citation
Roy, Anusuya. Evaluation of the Head Start Program: Additional Evidence from the NLSCM79 Data. Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York At Albany, 2003. DAI-A 64/03, p. 1005, Sep 2003.