HEAD START ENROLLMENT AND CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

This secondary data analysis from a Head Start program examines the association between children's entry age and enrollment duration and the likelihood of mental health treatment. Study questions are as follows: (a) Do baseline characteristics differ among three groups of Head Start children? (children who enrolled at 3 years of age and stayed for 1 year [group 1], enrolled at 4 years of age and stayed for 1 year [group 2], and enrolled at 3 years of age and stayed for 2 years [group 3]); (b) Does the likelihood of children's mental health treatment differ among the groups?; and (c) Are baseline characteristics associated with the likelihood of mental health treatment? Except ethnicity and family size, other baseline characteristics did not differ across the three groups. Groups 1 and 3 received more mental health treatment than group 2. Different percentages of mental health treatment were found, depending on children's gender, ethnicity, family income, special needs, and bilingual status. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.