Fuhua Zhai|Jeanne Brooks?Gunn|Jane Waldfogel
Head Start and urban children's school readiness: A birth cohort study in 18 cities.
used longitudinal data birth cohort study fragile families child wellbeing study investigate links head start school readiness large diverse sample urban children age 5 n 2803 18 cities found head start attendance associated enhanced cognitive ability social competence reduced attention problems reduced internalizing externalizing behavior problems findings robust model specifications including models cityfixed effects propensityscoring matching furthermore effects head start varied reference group head start associated improved cognitive development compared parental care nonparental care well improved social competence compared parental care reduced attention problems compared nonparental care contrast compared attendance prekindergarten centerbased care head start attendance associated cognitive gains improved social competence reduced attention externalizing behavior problems compared attendance centerbased care associations moderated child gender raceethnicity