Early Childhood Expertise

Setting the Bar for Early Childhood Development

As leaders in the field of early childhood development, we have innovated and implemented the Outcome Measurement gauge, which allows us to report where children were when they entered the program, and illustrate what they accomplished by the time they left the program. In 2001, ABCD Head Start initiated the Developmental Assessment System as a tool to systematically assess children for individualization and outcome measurement throughout the year.

A Source for Statistics and Expertise

As a national laboratory committed to innovating new approaches to early childhood development and education, Head Start supports research and evaluation of the Head Start program, its various demonstrations, and related individual research activities. We strive to maintain our status as leaders in the field by initiating and supporting new research activities; synthesizing, disseminating and incorporating important research findings into program operations; and actively engaging the academic community in all research endeavors.