Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2019)

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2019, or FACES 2019, is the seventh in a series of national studies of Head Start, with earlier studies conducted in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2014. (FACES 2014 is entered as NCT03705377). It includes nationally representative samples of Head Start programs and centers, classrooms, children and their families. Data from surveys of Head Start program and center directors, classroom teachers, and parents provide descriptive information about program policies and practices, classroom activities, and the background and experiences of Head Start staff and families. Children in the study participate in a direct assessment that provides a rich picture of their school readiness skills at different time points. FACES 2019 extends a previously conducted data collection to a new sample of Head Start programs, families, and children. As with previous rounds, FACES 2019 collects information from a national probability sample of Head Start programs to learn what progress Head Start has made toward meeting program performance goals. The goals of FACES 2019 are to describe: (1) the characteristics of Head Start classrooms, programs, and staff for specific program years; (2) the changes or trends in the characteristics of classrooms, programs, and staff over time; (3) the school readiness skills and family characteristics of children who participate in Head Start during specific program years; (4) the changes or trends in children's outcomes and family characteristics over time; and (5) the factors or characteristics at multiple levels that predict differences in children's outcomes. Originally, FACES 2019 also sought to observe Head Start classroom quality but was unable to do so, with classroom observations cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.