Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development-Summary (Research Paper Sample)

Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development-Summary
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Introduction
The Head Start Initiative is a program designed by America Department of Human Services and Health and provides a comprehensive health, early childhood education, parent involvement services and nutrition to children from low income families. The program aims at ensuring the stability of family relationship, enhancing emotional and physical children’s growth, and establishing an environment that supports cognitive development. Children’s brain is significantly developed during their early childhood years, and this affects their mental and physical health. Effective early childhood development provides a platform for effective mental and physical development. Various studies have been conducted on the subject of Life-Cycle Skill Development and Early Childhood Intervention. This paper explores a study by David Deming, in terms of its focus, description, findings, importance and limitation.
Research focus
This study sought to provide the perceived benefits of a Head Start program for group of recently born children who were in the program between 1984 and 1990. The researcher compared siblings who exhibited varying participation in the Head Start while controlling pre-treatment covariates. The source of data was National Longitudinal Mother Child Supplement. The researcher began by identifying the effect of a Head Start in regard to family differences in the program’s involvement. According to the researcher, systematic bias in regard to families’ enrollment for the Head Start is less significant. The long-term effect of the Head Start significantly impacts the disadvantaged children and has an estimated standard deviation of 0.23. In this study of Lifecycle skill development and early childhood development, the researcher provides an insight on the benefits of equipping children with early skill information.
Hypothesis
A Head Start has long-term benefits and significantly enhances early childhood development. Head Start participants who successfully complete the program have significant positive outcomes in their later life.
Study description and Results
Deming’s study focused on the outcomes of young adults in the Head Start and applied an econometric analysis of the children’s birth cohort data. As previously stated, birth cohort data from 1984-1990 was obtained from the National Longitudinal Survey of youth. Deming’s findings in regard to the Head Start’s long term impact indicate that the cognitive gains made by the graduates or participants of the program become less significant with the lapse of time. Head Start test scores at ages 5 was higher than at ages 6 and declined/become less significant as the age increased. Despite the fade out scores, there was a significant long-term impact of the Head Start on less privileged children. To reduce the fade out scores, it is imperative that students are provided with quality education. Children move from the nurturing environment offered by the Head Start into low quality elementary schools. This hampers the achievements made during the Head Start.
Importance of the study
Deming’s study offers a significant insight on the quality and effectiveness of American education system. The study is significant in the Head Start Program and America’s education system since it revealed that the low quality education in elementary schools' results to the fade out scores. Effectiveness of the Head Start can be greatly enhanced by imp...