Type of Document Dissertation Author Lacy, Gary Lee URN etd-5954111639731051 Title Head Start Social Services: Experiences, Perceptions, And Benefits From the Perspective of Head Start Mothers Degree PhD Department Counselor Education Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Libby R. Hoffman Committee Chair Julia E. Porter none Karen H. Rosen none Marilyn V. Lichtman none Richard S. Paritzky none Keywords
- head start benefits
- social services
- mother benefits
Date of Defense 1997-03-26 Availability unrestricted Abstract Project Head Start, a federal child
development program for low-income
families,serves both the mother and her
children. Previous studies have emphasized
Head Start's influence on the child in terms of
cognitive gains, social development, and
social-emotional development. A continuing
problem to understanding the extent of Head
Start impact on families is the absence of
reliable information about Head Start's
influence on the mother and how that influence
transfers to the family as they work toward
self-sufficiency. This study investigated two
issues: (1) the experiences, perceptions, and
levels of involvement of mothers who
participate in Head Start social services, and
(2) how these mothers describe their benefits
and relate these benefits to family experiences
such as increased problem-solving, coping,
and parenting skills. A multiple case study
methodology was selected because of its
flexibility to allow the researcher to follow new
leads that emerged. Participants met three
criteria: (1) enrollment in a Head Start social
services program for at least six months, (2)
willingness to sign an informed consent form
and participate in three 90-minute interviews,
and (3) having at least one child currently
enrolled in Head Start. A participant pool of
17 African American mothers was constituted
from parents enrolled in one of three Head
Start programs in the Washington, D.C. area,
and a sample of eight mothers was then
selected for in-depth study. Each mother was
interviewed three times, and data were drawn
from these interviews. The findings of this
study suggest that participation in Head Start
social services may have important benefits for
mothers and their children. Mothers had
developed increased coping and
problem-solving skills as well as increased
leadership and organizational skills. The
findings also suggest that participation in parent
group meetings had an empowering influence
that prompted several mothers to become
involved in certain community activities and in
their children's education.
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