A Portrait of Head Start Classrooms and Programs in Spring 2020: FACES 2019 Descriptive Data Tables and Study Design

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) provides national information about Head Start programs and participants. For more than two decades, FACES has been advancing the knowledge base about what matters in providing quality early care and education. Data from the study respond to current policy questions and support programs and practitioners working with Head Start families.

This report includes key information on the FACES 2019 study design and presents key findings from the study’s spring 2020 data collection. The tables in this report describe Head Start programs, centers, and classrooms in spring 2020, including their characteristics and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the study design, FACES would have observed Head Start classrooms in spring 2020. Data collection in spring 2020 began at around the same time that COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a public health emergency by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In response, most Head Start programs closed their physical buildings and changed their operations to continue to meet the needs of the families who participate. Therefore, FACES cancelled in-person data collection, including classroom observations, in spring 2020.