National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study Resource Guide |
Introduction
About the Guide
This resource guide provides a brief overview of the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study, 1991-1999, as well as instructions for obtaining a copy of the data and for linking the component datasets.
About the Data
The Head Start National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study, 1991-1999 (NTDS) is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sponsored study, which collects data on the process and outcomes of the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Project. The purpose of the project is to assist children in successfully transitioning from Head Start programs to the public school system. Head Start, initiated in 1965, provides services to low income children with the goal of mitigating disadvantage in early learning experiences. Head Start provides services in the areas of education, health, social services, and parental involvement to children across the United States. In 1991, Congress responded to concerns about children's retention of skills and resources post-Head Start by legislating an extension program known as the Transition Demonstration program. This new program is intended to improve continuity between Head Start and the public school curriculum by providing services in the areas of health, mental health, parenting education, and other social services.
The Transition Demonstration Project (TDP) was implemented at 31 local sites chosen through a competitive grant process. Each of these 31 programs emerged from a national study known as the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study, 1991-1999 which evaluated the impact of the programs on children and families. The TDP Study provided a set of guidelines or recommended survey components. However, each site was directed to implement these guidelines in a manner consistent with local needs and strengths. The TDP Study was aimed at addressing and measuring a series of questions related to the efficacy of Transition programs, including:
How have Transition Demonstration Programs been implemented at the local level?
What are the barriers to implementing these programs?
What institutional and systematic changes are evident at local sites as a result of Transition programs?
Do children and families in the Transition Demonstration group display better adjustment to school and improved functioning relative to comparison groups that do not receive services?
Which families and children experience more difficulty transitioning from Head Start to the public school system?
This resource guide provides an introductory description of the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study datasets, which collect information from the 31 TDP sites. This information is drawn from the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study Project Summary and Description of Data.
Acknowledgements
This resource guide was prepared by Donald J. Hernandez, Department of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York. It was developed for the PreK-3rd Data Resource Center: The First Six Years of Schooling and Beyond, a Web site hosted by ICPSR with support from the Foundation for Child Development.
