Effect of a clinic-based referral system to head start: a randomized controlled trial

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Michael Silverstein1, Christopher Mack, Nicole Reavis

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass 02118, USA. michael.silverstein@bmc.org

JAMA
|August 26, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Primary care physicians can significantly boost Head Start enrollment. A simple intervention increased successful connections and attendance for eligible children, demonstrating a scalable solution for early childhood development programs.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Early Childhood Education

Background:

  • Head Start programs offer significant benefits to children from low-income families.
  • Physician involvement in Head Start enrollment is currently limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of a primary care-based intervention in improving Head Start attendance rates.
  • To assess the impact of physician-facilitated enrollment on early childhood program participation.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 246 Head Start-eligible children (ages 0-4) across four Seattle health clinics.
  • Intervention group received direct mailing of Head Start referral packets by study personnel.
  • Control group received standard Head Start contact information.

Main Results:

  • The intervention group showed a significantly higher rate of successful connection to Head Start (41% vs. 18%).
  • Active Head Start attendance was also higher in the intervention group (25% vs. 11%).
  • The intervention effectively increased placement on Head Start waiting lists (22% vs. 9%).

Conclusions:

  • Assisting families with the initial Head Start connection process substantially increases program attendance.
  • Primary care interventions are a viable strategy to enhance access to early childhood development programs.
  • Facilitating enrollment through healthcare settings can improve outcomes for underserved children.
Abstract

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