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It examines how per-child base funding allocations diverge from poverty rates and highlights disparities in educator pay and program resources. The report argues for updating the Head Start base funding formula and allocation approach using current poverty definitions and eligible children data, while advancing more equitable teacher salaries and supports for historically underserved children.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/strengthening-support-for-our-youngest-children-steps-for-improving-head-start/586990/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/strengthening-support-for-our-youngest-children-steps-for-improving-head-start/586990.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Fahsai","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-07","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":44},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the report focus on differences in Head Start base funding across states?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It examines how per-child base funding allocations vary significantly between and across states and do not align with the percentages of children living in poverty.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the report define equity for this study?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It uses the federal Office of Head Start definition of fair and just treatment, and it adds the Southern Education Foundation’s definition that links the lack of association between race, family income, and education outcomes to ensure each child gets what they need.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What policy changes does the report propose to improve Head Start?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It calls for updating the Head Start base funding formula and allocation method based on current poverty definitions and the number and location of eligible children, and for improving equitable teacher salaries and program resources.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},586990,1792188755,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":44,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":41,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},549768702563,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/8000c4aa63b76e948b?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786536092046926083","Strengthening Support for Our Youngest Children:  \nSteps for Improving Head Start  \nA research report from the Southern Education Foundation  \nAugust 2024  \nAuthors  \nCathy Grace, Ed.D., University of Mississippi  \nKathy Thornburg, Ph.D., University of Missouri  \nSheerah Neal Keith, Ph.D., University of Kentucky  \nMax Altman, Ph. D., Southern Education Foundation  \nAllison Boyle, Southern Education Foundation  \nAbout the Southern Education Foundation  \nThe Southern Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by partners and donors committed to advancing equitable education policies and practices for low-income students and students of color in the southern states. We develop and disseminate research-based solutions for policymakers, and we grow the capacity of education leaders and influencers to create systemic change.  \nWe believe education equity is essential to achieve quality and fairness in the public education system. We envision a world in which every student, regardless of background, enjoys an education that propels them toward the opportunity-rich life they deserve.  \n[www.southerneducation.org](www.southerneducation.org)   \nThe Southern Early Childhood Education Justice Network  \nThe Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) network unites more than 30 state policy organizations and advocates to focus on improving and expanding early learning opportunities for young children across the South. The SECEJ network advocates for systemic and transformative early childhood policy improvements in the South, focusing especially on historically underserved children of color and those in low-income families.  \nSteps for Improving [Head Start | ](Head Start | southerneducation.org | Follow SEF on)[southerneducation.org](Head Start | southerneducation.org | Follow SEF on)[ | Follow SEF on](Head Start | southerneducation.org | Follow SEF on) social media  | 2  \nIntroduction  \nThis study began with a simple question often asked by grantees and supporters of Head Start: Why are per-child base funding allocations significantly different between and across states and do not seem to align with the percentages of children living in poverty? For years, Head Start programs in many of the states with higher rates of children living in poverty have received less per-child funding allocations than programs in states with lower rates of children living in poverty. Further, the educators who teach these children are vastly underpaid, and their pay is also inequitable among states and regions. This study draws on current data to better identify inequities in Head Start and propose specific policy changes to address these inequities.  \nSpecifically, this study shows the need to update the current Head Start base funding formula and allocation method based on changes in the definition of poverty and the number and location of eligible children. The study also highlights the need for more equitable Head  \nStart teacher salaries and program resources. Head Start has had a significant and measurable impact on children and families in its nearly 60 years of the program, and the authors of this report are dedicated to its value.1 We intend for this report to help strengthen the program and  \nprovide even more children and families with a true, more equitable Head Start.  \nDefining Equity  \nThe federal Office of Head Start defines equity as “fair and just treatment to all children, families, and those who support them, enabling everyone to achieve their full potential.”2 The Southern Education Foundation defines it as a lack of association between students’ race, family income, and education outcomes  \n—so that each child receives what they need, when they need it, to develop to their full academic and social potential.3 For the purposes of this report, we consider systems to be equitable when they focus their resources and scaffold their funding to support children most in need, and funding is equitable when it fai","cbCaikC9eI8XVc6m","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikC9eI8XVc6m","pdf",2672762,"English","# Introduction\n## Defining Equity\n# Background\n## The Origins of Head Start","[{\"question\":\"Why does the report focus on differences in Head Start base funding across states?\",\"answer\":\"It examines how per-child base funding allocations vary significantly between and across states and do not align with the percentages of children living in poverty.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the report define equity for this study?\",\"answer\":\"It uses the federal Office of Head Start definition of fair and just treatment, and it adds the Southern Education Foundation’s definition that links the lack of association between race, family income, and education outcomes to ensure each child gets what they need.\"},{\"question\":\"What policy changes does the report propose to improve Head Start?\",\"answer\":\"It calls for updating the Head Start base funding formula and allocation method based on current poverty definitions and the number and location of eligible children, and for improving equitable teacher salaries and program resources.\"}]","Strengthening Support for Our Youngest Children - Steps for Improving Head Start | PDF",1792060383,76]