I have a daughter playing 2nd grade lax. this is her third year playing. for the first two years she used a beginner stick but just before the first game this year, I switched her to an advanced curved head.
her catching and cradling improved dramatically. a lot of the advanced heads have deeper throat areas. at this young age when girls cradle the ball it is usually at the bottom of the head, instead of towards the top. so this really helps with keeping the ball in the stick.
another thing is the pocket. a lot of the more advanced heads have much better pockets. my daughter went from a Trakker Pro to a Gripper Pro and it is a huge difference.
if you don't want to spend the money on an expensive head, I would at least upgrade the pocket.
I have two even younger daughters and next time around they will use an advanced head with a gripper pro from day one.
my two cents | 
