Priority Indicator #8: Percentage of Students Eligible and Served by Head Start or Pre-kindergarten

Contents: Background Information | Data Tables | Data Charts | Commentary | Download Data

Background Information

What Does This Indicator Mean?
This indicator measures the percentage of children ages 3 and 4 years old who are living in families whose income is at or below 100% of the federal poverty level, and who are enrolled in a Head Start or pre-kindergarten program. The poverty level is adjusted annually by the federal government's Office of Management and Budget.  This indicator is calculated using the total number of children ages 3 and 4 in Oregon, which is generated by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services.  The indicator also uses information from the decennial census on the percentage of children under age six who are living in poverty.  This 2000 census data has not yet been released, and so 1990 data is still used.  The percentage of children eligible for Head Start is calculated as the number of children living in poverty divided by the total number of children in that age group.  The percentage of children served by Head Start is calculated as the number of children served by Head Start divided by the number of children eligible for Head Start.  

Other Factors or Indicators to Consider
Head Start and Early Head Start (pre-kindergarten) are comprehensive child development programs that serve children from birth to age five, pregnant women, and their families. The program's goal is to increase the social competence of young children in low-income families, including readiness for school. “Social competence” refers to child’s everyday effectiveness in dealing with both his or her present environment and later responsibilities in school and life.  Higher percentages of children eligible for Head Start signify higher the rates of childhood poverty in a community. 

Limitations of the Data
The main limitation of this indicator is that it relies on data from the 1990 census, which is somewhat outdated.  The Census Bureau does plan to update data annually, starting in 2003 with pilot projects.  Also, it is difficult to count poor people, as they may not have a steady address or telephone number.  Meanwhile the numbers of children served per county are very accurate, since they are an actual count.  Therefore, the "official" figures for this indicator will overstate the percentage of students served and underestimate the percentage of students eligible.  Finally, this indicator does not include migrant students.