What is Head Start?

    
Head Start and Early Head Start are federally-funded, national child and family development programs which provide comprehensive services for pregnant women, low-income families and their children.  There are Head Start programs in all 50 states, in almost every county in the U.S.  Head Start serves more than 900,000 low-income children and families on an annual basis nationwide.

Program Participants

• Head Start serves children ages three to five and their families.
• Early Head Start serves pregnant women and children from birth to age three and their families.

History of Head Start

• Head Start was started in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty.
• The 1994 Head Start reauthorization provided for the implementation of Early Head Start, which began in 1995.

Federal-to-Local Structure

Head Start is administered by the Office of Head Start within the U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).  Head Start is a direct, federal-to-local program administered by more than 1,600 locally-based public or private organizations (called “grantees”) across the country.  Local programs are funded and monitored directly by the federal government. 

Goals of Head Start and Early Head Start

The goals of Head Start and Early Head Start are as follows:

• To promote healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant women (Early Head Start)
• To promote children’s social competence and school readiness by enhancing the social, cognitive, physical and emotional development of children
• To engage parents in their children’s learning and as the primary nurturers of their children
• To help parents in making progress toward their goals (e.g., educational, literacy and employment), and involve
  parents in program decisions and development

A research-based program that helps prepare children for success in school and in life.  Head Start is one of the most researched and evaluated early childhood programs in America.  Dr. Steven Barnett of the National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER) documents research studies which have shown that children enrolled in Head Start have increased achievement test scores, decreased grade repetition and special education needs, and increased graduation rates. Read more

Head Start also benefits the children it serves, and society in general, by reducing crime and its costs to crime victims.  The national organization Fight Crime Invest in Kids, comprised of thousands of police chiefs and other law enforcement leaders, shows the relationship between a quality early education in Head Start and positive outcomes for children later in life. Read more