Describing Head Start Family Service Workers: An Examination of Factors Related to Job Satisfaction, Empowerment, and Multiculturalism

Abstract

The study describes a sample of Head Start family service workers and seeks to understand what personal and employment characteristics may be associated with empowerment, multiculturalism, and job satisfaction. These three outcomes were selected based on previous research and a review of the literature on performance outcomes for human service workers. Results indicate that the number of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) families served by the family service worker, the size of their caseloads, their years of Head Start work experience, and the previous enrollment of their own child in Head Start were associated with higher job satisfaction. Empowerment was predicted by the family service workers' length of time residing in the community and having had children previously attend Head Start. The multicultural sensitivity of the family service worker was associated with having a job-related license and the number of ESL families in the caseload.