Head Start is not child care.

Comments on S. Scarr's (see record 1997-38813-002) defense of cheap, minimally regulated child care. The author responds to Scarr's comments on Head Start. Scarr dismisses Head Start without acknowledging the comprehensive nature of its intervention in the lives of poor children and their families. Head Start does more than child care aspires to do: Head Start makes sure that poor children get medical and dental care, helps their families gain access to social services, offers volunteer and paid employment to parents, involves parents in governance, serves nutritious meals, provides intellectual stimulation, and above all, helps children develop the social competence necessary to succeed in school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)