Children in Early Head Start and Head Start: A Profile of Early Leavers

This brief explores the child- , family- , and program-level factors that may be associated with whether children leave Early Head Start or Head Start before their eligibility ends. The brief utilizes data from the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) and from the 2009 cohort of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2009). Analyses show that most families who enrolled stayed for as long as they were eligible. However, some families left early: 35 percent in Early Head Start and 27 percent in Head Start. Early leaving was only related to a few of the child, family, and program characteristics examined.