Emotional Health in Low-Income Children

To learn more about the mental health of preschoolers in Head Start programs, researchers from the Center conducted focus groups with staff and parents from five Head Start programs in two large cities. Focus groups revealed general perceptions of young children’s mental health, behaviors viewed as problematic, and staff and parent responses to these behaviors. Findings from this study provided rich qualitative information on how to foster emotional development and more effectively address mental health concerns within Head Start programs. In addition, the team developed a battery of versatile assessment tools, available in both English and Spanish, for measuring the self-regulation skills of three- to five-year-olds.

Funding Sources: Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institute of Mental Health.