Involving Fathers in Head Start: A Framework for Public Policy and Program Development

Abstract

Twenty-five years after the founding of Head Start, the nation's most politically successful program for young children has discovered men. The Department of Health and Human Services is using Head Start as the center' piece of its “male initiative” to increase the involvement of fathers and other males in the lives of young children. This review, synthesizing relevant literature on child development, parent involvement, and service delivery, offers a set of guidelines that policymakers can use to increase the likelihood that male initiatives at the national or local level will be politically as well as programmatically successful.