The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has long believed in the importance of evaluation. Towards this end, in September 2002, a contract to conduct a multi-year evaluation of the implementation of the Healthy Start program was awarded to Abt Associates Inc. and its subcontractor, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR). The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the projects involved during the funding cycle that covered the project period 2001-2005. The evaluation relies on a set of logic models (see Appendix) to illustrate how implementation of the nine program components may lead to the achievement of core program goals, which in turn, may translate into improved maternal and child health outcomes.