Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) Study, 1996-2010: [United States]

Early Head Start (EHS) programs are comprehensive, two-generation programs that focus on enhancing children's development while strengthening families. Designed for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers up to age 3, Early Head Start programs strive to achieve their goals by designing program options based on family and community needs. Programs may offer one or more options to families, including a home-based option, a center-based option, a combination option in which families receive a prescribed number of home visits and center-based experiences, and locally designed options, which in some communities include family child care.The Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) Study was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) and included five major components: (1) an implementation study; (2) an impact evaluation, using an experimental design; (3) local research studies to learn about pathways to desired outcomes; (4) policy studies to respond to information needs in areas of emerging policy-relevant issues; and (5) continuous program improvement. The study involved 3,001 children and families in 17 sites representing diverse program models, racial/ethnic makeup, urban-rural location, program auspice, and program experience in serving infants and toddlers. Three phases comprise the collection: Birth to Three ("0-3"), Pre-Kindergarten ("PreK") Follow-up and the Elementary School ("G5") Follow-up. A brief description of each phase is provided below:Birth to Three Phase (1996-2001): included a cross-site national study that encompassed an Impact Evaluation and Implementation Study that investigated program impacts on children and families through their time in the program as well as site-specific research conducted by local research projects.Pre-Kindergarten Follow-up Phase (2001-2005) : built upon the earlier research and followed the children and families who were in the original study from the time they left the Early Head Start program until they entered kindergarten. It was designed to document the long-term consequences of receiving either Early Head Start services or other community services up until age 3 combined with subsequent Head Start or other formal early care and education programs on children's school readiness and parent functioning.Elementary School Follow-up Phase (2005-2010): assessed children and families when the children were fifth graders or attending their sixth year of formal schooling. The study included direct assessments of children's cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development; parent interviews; teacher questionnaires; and videotaping of maternal-child interactions. The Early Head Start findings are based on a mixture of direct child assessments, observations of children's behavior by in-person interviewers, ratings of videotaped parent-child interactions in standardized ways, ratings of children's behaviors by their parents, and parents' self-reports of their own behaviors, attitudes, and circumstances. Data in this collection were constructed by the Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) researchers for use in their analyses. Very few of the original source variables are present in this public-use file. The constructs came from several data sources: Baseline data, which were collected from the Head Start Family Information System (HSFIS) program application and enrollment forms and the MPR Tracking System. These data contain information on the program status of each case, characteristics of the applicant, mother, and focus child from the MPR Tracking System, summary variables pertaining to all family members, and information on the father, on family circumstances, on the mother's pregnancy, and on the focus child. Parent services follow-up interviews (PSI) targeted for 6, 15, and 26 months after random assignment. These data contain information on use of services both in and outside of Early Head Start, progress toward economic self-sufficiency, family health, and children's health. Parent interviews (BPI) targeted for completion when children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. These interviews obtained a large amount of information from the primary caregivers about their child's development and family functioning. Specific questions asked of parents in the parent interview included items about raising a baby, child's health, household composition, child care, mother figure, father figure, family routines, parents' and parent-child activities, child behavior, and stressful events. Child and family assessments targeted for administration when children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. Field interviewers recorded information from their observations of children's behavior and home environments. Direct child assessments included Bayley Assessments, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests (PPVTs), and videotaped semi-structured parent-child interactions. Child care provider interviews and observations targeted for administration when children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. Interview and observation data were collected from child care providers for children who were in child care arrangements that met particular criteria when they were approximately 14, 24 and 36 months old. Different data collection instruments were used for children in child care centers and children cared for by family child care providers or relatives. Data from both types of providers may be used together for some types of analyses.
Father interviews targeted for collection when children were 24 and 36 months old. In addition to asking mothers about their child's father, biological fathers and father figures in 12 sites were interviewed directly about fathering issues at the time of the 24- and 36-month birthday-related interviews (but not when children were 14 months old).

早期儿童启蒙开端计划（Early Head Start, EHS）是综合性的两代帮扶项目，旨在助力儿童发展的同时强化家庭功能。该项目面向低收入孕妇以及育有3岁以下婴幼儿的家庭，会根据家庭与社区的实际需求设计多样化的项目模式，力求达成既定目标。项目可为家庭提供一种或多种服务形式，包括家庭探访式服务、中心托管式服务、混合模式服务（即家庭可获得规定次数的家庭探访与中心托管体验），以及部分社区自主设计的模式——其中部分社区会引入家庭式托儿服务。

早期儿童启蒙开端计划研究与评估（Early Head Start Research and Evaluation, EHSRE）由马瑟玛政策研究公司（Mathematica Policy Research, MPR）主导开展，包含五大核心模块：（1）项目实施研究；（2）采用实验设计的影响评估；（3）探索目标实现路径的本土研究；（4）针对新兴政策相关议题的政策研究，以响应相关信息需求；（5）持续项目优化。该项研究在17个试点站点开展，涵盖3001个儿童与家庭，这些站点覆盖了多样化的项目模式、种族/族裔构成、城乡区位、项目主办主体以及婴幼儿服务经验。

数据收集分为三个阶段："Birth to Three"阶段（1996-2001年，即“0-3岁阶段”）、学前教育跟进阶段（"Pre-Kindergarten, PreK"，2001-2005年）以及小学阶段跟进（"Elementary School, G5"，2005-2010年）。下文将简要介绍各阶段情况：
1. 0-3岁阶段（1996-2001年）：包含一项跨站点全国性研究，涵盖影响评估与实施研究，旨在考察项目在实施期间对儿童与家庭的影响，同时包含由本土研究项目开展的站点特异性研究。
2. 学前教育跟进阶段（2001-2005年）：基于前期研究成果，对参与初始研究的儿童与家庭进行追踪，从他们离开EHS项目直至进入幼儿园阶段。该阶段旨在记录：在3岁前接受EHS服务或其他社区服务，结合后续的Head Start或其他正规早期保育与教育项目，对儿童入学准备状态与家长功能产生的长期影响。
3. 小学阶段跟进（2005-2010年）：在儿童升入五年级或完成六年正规学业时对其与家庭开展评估。研究包含对儿童认知、社会情感与身体发展的直接测评，家长访谈，教师问卷，以及母婴互动录像编码。

EHS的研究发现基于多种数据来源：儿童直接测评结果、现场访谈员对儿童行为的观察记录、标准化编码的母婴互动录像评分、家长对儿童行为的评分，以及家长对自身行为、态度与处境的自我报告。本数据集由MPR研究人员构建，用于后续分析。公开可用数据文件中几乎未保留原始源变量，其构念来自多个数据来源：
- 基线数据：通过Head Start家庭信息系统（Head Start Family Information System, HSFIS）的项目申请与登记表格，以及MPR追踪系统收集。该数据包含每个案例的项目状态、申请者、母亲与目标儿童的特征（来自MPR追踪系统）、所有家庭成员的汇总变量信息，以及父亲、家庭处境、母亲孕期与目标儿童的相关信息。
- 家长服务跟进访谈（Parent Services Follow-up Interview, PSI）：针对随机分组后6、15、26个月的家庭开展。该数据包含EHS内外的服务使用情况、经济自立进展、家庭健康与儿童健康相关信息。
- 家长访谈（Basic Parent Interview, BPI）：在儿童14、24、36个月龄时完成。该访谈从主要照料者处获取大量关于儿童发展与家庭功能的信息。家长访谈中的具体问题涵盖育儿细节、儿童健康、家庭构成、托儿服务、母亲角色、父亲角色、家庭日常惯例、家长与亲子活动、儿童行为与应激事件等。
- 儿童与家庭评估：在儿童14、24、36个月龄时开展。现场访谈员记录对儿童行为与家庭环境的观察信息。直接儿童测评包括贝莉发育量表（Bayley Assessments）、皮博迪图片词汇测验（Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests, PPVTs），以及半结构化母婴互动录像。
- 托儿服务提供者访谈与观察：在儿童14、24、36个月龄时开展。针对符合特定托儿安排标准的儿童，从其托儿服务提供者处收集访谈与观察数据。针对中心式托儿儿童与家庭式托儿提供者或亲属照料的儿童，采用了不同的数据收集工具。部分分析场景可同时使用两类提供者的数据。
- 父亲访谈：在儿童24、36个月龄时开展。除了向母亲询问其孩子的父亲相关信息外，研究在12个站点直接访谈了生物学父亲与父亲角色扮演者，内容围绕育儿相关议题，开展时间对应儿童24和36个月龄的访谈（但未在儿童14个月龄时开展）。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集是美国早期启蒙计划（EHS）的长期研究评估数据，覆盖1996年至2010年，追踪了17个地点的3,001名低收入家庭儿童从出生到小学五年级的发展情况。研究采用随机分配实验设计，综合评估了计划对儿童认知、社会情感发展和家庭功能的影响，数据来源包括直接评估、家长访谈和观察记录，重点关注儿童保育、早期教育及亲子关系等领域。