Examining the relationship between intergroup relations and head start use in the south

This study examines how Black and Hispanic parents' report of intergroup relations measured through group identity, linked fate, competition, and conflict are related to their utilization of Head Start services in a region that experienced Hispanic population growth. Surveys were conducted with 227 Black and 130 Hispanic parents in poverty in a mid-sized city in the South. For Hispanic parents, a sense of linked fate within their ethnic group is associated with a lower likelihood of enrollment, however, measures of intergroup relations are not related to the Head Start enrollment status of Black parents. Implications for policies on preschool expansion are discussed.