Factors Associated With Service Referrals and Uptake in Early Head Start: The Importance of Care Setting

Secondary analysis of the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2018 data set (Baby FACES 2018) explored links between family risk events and referral-making and referral uptake among families receiving Early Head Start (EHS) services. Referrals to both behavioral health and entitlement programs were considered. Results showed that referrals to behavioral health programs were much more likely to be given to families receiving care from home-based care than center-based care, and that referrals were slightly more likely to be given to families who did not have any family risk events. Several factors also moderated the relationship between family risk and referrals, including perceived closeness of the parent/caregiver-EHS staff relationship, family conflict, and caregiver depression. There were no observed effects for referrals to entitlement programs. Caregiver depression weakened the link between family risk and service uptake for entitlement programs.