Unequal neighborhood availability of Head Start

State Equity Data Explorer
Published: 01.15.2020 Updated: 06.29.2020

Use the State Equity Data Explorer tools below to view detailed data about Head Start neighborhood availability by race/ethnicity and nativity in your states of interest.

Neighborhood availability of Head Start is an important indicator of low-income children’s access to quality early education and care in the U.S. Past research has shown that when children have a center in their immediate neighborhood, they are more likely to attend Head Start, particularly for immigrant and Hispanic children.

Several different comparisons can be made with the two graph tools below including comparisons between state and national patterns, between the two indicators related to neighborhood availability of Head Start and between children of different race/ethnicities and immigrant status (both within and across states).

For example, compare results for Hispanic children in Texas and California, and find two very different patterns. Hispanic children in Texas have worse than average neighborhood availability, driven by poor neighborhood availability for immigrant children. In contrast, Hispanic children in California have about average or even slightly better than average neighborhood availability, and neighborhood availability for immigrant children is better than for children with native parents.

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Erin Hardy
Erin Hardy
Senior Research Scientist , NORC
photo of Rebecca Huber ddk staff member
Rebecca Huber
Research Associate