ABSTRACT
As the year wound to a close, it was apparent that there were vast differences in outcomes between those parents — both groups and individuals — who had the material and symbolic support of the staff in the Head Start program, and those who did not have such resources available to them. Relatedly, the staff themselves had little or no support from the program and each other regarding material, informational, cultural, and collaborative resources for parent programming. In fact, with no clear mission about parent involvement with inadequate staffing levels, equipment, budgets, and facilities; and with the staff’s low comfort levels and lack of knowledge regarding working with parents in combination with the various gatekeeping functions in the program that prevented parent participation, the actual numbers of parents and adult family members who volunteered was indeed low. Clearly, staff understanding and support was vital if parent participation and involvement were to be minimally successful, much less liberatory, or transforming experiences for those adults in the program.
