Head start like the Job corps programs, took a lot of funding to get started, and helped many to escape poverty.

However only about 20% of Head start programs resembled the Perry study. They tended to be more academic and some were actually call pre-kindergarten programs. These academic programs were less effective on outcomes measured by the Perry and similar studies  and may have done some harm to students who were forced to learn.

For example, children in the Perry study learned to plan and anticipate consequences. Researchers feel that this is important for the lack of arrests for crimes for the test preschool group.