Post-First Grade Follow-Up of Early Head Start Project

Year Awarded: 2003
Project Leaders:
Rachel Schiffman, Ph.D, RN, College of Nursing; Holly Brophy-Herb, Ph.D, Department of Family and Child Ecology, College of Human Ecology; Mary Cunningham-Deluca, Community Action Agency.

Project Description:
This project is aimed at meeting family and community needs. MSU faculty and community agencies will conduct a fifth wave of data collection, at the end of first grade, with 142 families who were recruited for the Early Head Start project when their children were infants. The research consist of some questions that deals with the impact of family health on child development and family functioning, effects of participation in early Head Start on family health and development, and how the characteristics defining family health change over time. The information will help identify the developmental trajectories of children and families and investigate the long-term impacts of early intervention programs.