2021–2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) Programs

Head Start is a national program that helps young children from families with low incomes get ready to succeed in school. It promotes their early learning and health and their families’ well-being. In the year following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a need to understand how children, families, and Head Start staff were faring. In 2021, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contracted with Mathematica to design and conduct the 2021–2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs (the 2021–2022 Study). The 2021-2022 Study explores this with the programs that participated in FACES 2019.

While we selected nationally representative samples of programs, centers, teachers, and children, fewer participated than expected. This means that data from the 2021-2022 Study may not fully represent the national Head Start population. However, it can still help us learn important information about child, family, and Head Start staff well-being and experiences during the 2021-2022 program year. We extend our thanks to the participating programs.