Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

These infographics describe the experiences of families with children enrolled in Head Start FACES programs during the 2021-2022 program year, with a focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in family health and well-being. The data in these infographics provide a window into the experiences of a sample of Head Start parents who were able to respond to the survey during this time. Readers should not assume the data are nationally representative of children and families enrolled in Head Start programs.

1. Head Start Parents' Employment and Financial Situations During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). This infographic presents information about changes in parents' employment status and financial situations, and families' ability to afford basic needs.
2. Head Start Parents' Experiences with COVID-19 by January 2022 (PDF). This infographic presents information about families' direct and indirect experiences with COVID-19.
3. Head Start Parents' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). This infographic presents information about parents' stress levels, and their symptoms of depression and anxiety.
4. Challenges and Coping Strategies for Head Start Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). This infographic presents information about challenges parents experienced, coping strategies they used, community supports available to them, and support systems they relied on.
5. Head Start Family Routines During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). This infographic presents information about children's bedtime, reading, and dinner routines.
6. Head Start Parents' Use of Strategies to Meet Child Care Needs in Addition to Their Regular Child Care Arrangements (PDF). This infographic presents information about different strategies parents used to care for their children when their regular care wasn't available.
7. Relationships between Head Start Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). This infographic presents information about parental warmth and parenting stress.
8. Changes in Children's Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). This infographic presents information about changes in children's behavior, such as experiencing disrupted sleep and developing new fears.

This study builds on prior rounds of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) to explore how children, families, and Head Start staff were doing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parents whose children participated in Head Start FACES programs completed surveys that included questions about their children and households in fall 2021 (specifically from October 2021 to January 2022). These infographics draw on data from 785 completed parent surveys.

More information about the sample and how the data were weighted can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/family-and-staff-well-being-head-start-faces-programs-fall-2021-2021-2022-study.

Appendix

Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data tables appendix

1. Doran, Elizabeth, Davis Straske, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Head Start Parents' Employment and Financial Situations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 1, OPRE Report 2024-201, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Doran, Elizabeth, Davis Straske, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Head Start Parents' Experiences with COVID-19 by January 2022. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 2, OPRE Report 2024-202, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
3. Doran, Elizabeth, Davis Straske, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Head Start Parents' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 3, OPRE Report 2024-203, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
4. Doran, Elizabeth, Davis Straske, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Challenges and Coping Strategies for Head Start Parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 4, OPRE Report 2024-204, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
5. Straske, Davis, Elizabeth Doran, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Head Start Family Routines During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no.5, OPRE Report 2024-205, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
6. Straske, Davis, Elizabeth Doran, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Head Start Parents' Use of Strategies to Meet Child Care Needs in Addition to Their Regular Child Care Arrangements. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 6, OPRE Report 2024-206, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
7. Straske, Davis, Elizabeth Doran, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Relationships between Head Start Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 7, OPRE Report 2024-207, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
8. Straske, Davis, Elizabeth Doran, Nikki Aikens, Malcolm McGaughy, Laura Watson-Sarnoski, Yvonne Marki-Korosec, Xiaofan Sun, Judy Cannon, and Sara Bernstein (2024). Changes in Children's Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Snapshots of Head Start Family Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Infographic no. 8, OPRE Report 2024-208, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.