Evidence for Expanded Access to Head Start and Early Head Start
Head Start and Early Head Start have been proven effective for supporting young children’s development, and their parents, for many years. But did you know that Head Start and Early Head Start can reduce child maltreatment and child welfare system involvement?
And while children in foster care have automatic eligibility for Head Start, more children and their parents could benefit from Head Start and Early Head Start (HS/EH) if eligibility were expanded and simplified. How many families don’t engage in these programs simply because enrollment processes are confusing, duplicative, or stigmatizing?
Brightpoint, a statewide child and family serving agency in Illinois, provides the evidence and advocates for expanded access to HS/EHS, increased federal funding, and simplified enrollment. Read and share this Research to Policy Brief from Brightpoint. And ask some questions that might move you to advocate for expanded access to HS/EHS where you are: What would it mean to treat access to HS/EHS as a protective factor for child maltreatment? What can you do where you are to begin to simplify the enrollment process? What would parents gain—for themselves and their children—if it were easier to enroll in their local HS center or EHS program?
Do what you can from where you are.
Explore More
Moving Away from Family Separation: Cross-Systems Strategies to Support Young Children at Risk of Child Welfare Involvement
Report March 12, 2026
Between October 2024 and April 2025, the BUILD Initiative hosted a six-part webinar series, offered through BUILD’s Prenatal-to-Three Capacity Building Hub. This report provides key learnings and highlights from the webinar series.
Community Births – A Solution to Maternity Care Deserts
Archived Webinar March 3, 2026
According to the March of Dimes 2024 report, "Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the United States," 1,104 counties, or about 35% of the nation’s 3,142 counties, are designated as Maternity Care Deserts.
Stop Talking . . . and Start Walking: Whole Systems That Take Action for Children and Families
Archived Webinar October 21, 2025
Over the course of this Whole Child Whole Family Whole Systems webinar series, we have journeyed together through the many forces that shape the lives of young children and their families: economic stability, maternal health, housing, homelessness, family supports, food security, and environmental conditions.