Head Start Program

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Head Start

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Office: Administration for Children and Families
Head Start , 1250 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, District of Columbia 20024  Phone: 202-205-7378

Head Start Grants for Specified Use
FY 13 $189,330,000; FY 14 est $203,322,000; and FY 15 est $205,460,000

Head Start Project Grants
FY 13 $7,280,377,000; FY 14 est $7,782,420,000; and FY 15 est $7,899,156,000
In FY 2014, there is $1,419,840,000 included in the estimate to implement the Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnership initiative.

Head Start is a federal program providing grants under the Head Start Act as amended by the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act.  The objective of the program is to promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of low-income children, including children on federally recognized reservations and children of migratory farmworkers. This objective is achieved through the provision of comprehensive health, educational, nutritional, and social and other services. The program requires the involvement of parents in their children’s learning, this way improving the process to achieve educational, literacy and employment goals.

At least 90 percent of the participants in a program must be income eligible; i.e. coming from families whose income is below the poverty line, from families receiving public assistance, from homeless families or children in foster care. Programs may serve an additional 35 percent of participants with incomes up to 130 percent of poverty if they can demonstrate that they already are meeting the needs of children below the poverty line in the area served. American Indian and Alaska Native programs may enroll additional over-income children if they enroll all children in their service area that are income-eligible and predominantly serve children meeting the low-income criteria. Training and technical assistance grants are available to Head Start programs in each State.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Head Start/Early Head Start programs are for children from birth up to the age when the child enters the school system. However, Head Start programs only serve pre-school age children while Early Head Start programs serve children from birth through age three. No less than 10 percent of each Head Start program’s enrollment shall be for children with disabilities.

How to Apply

For detailed information on this federal program contact your regional office:

Region I (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Boston Regional Office, JFK Building, Rm. 2000, 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, MA 02203. Telephone: (617) 565-1150.

Region II (NJ, NY, PI, VI):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, New York Regional Office, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 4114, New York, NY 10278. Telephone: (212) 264-2890, ext. 173.

Region III (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Philadelphia Regional Office, 150 S. Independence Mall West, Suite 864, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106-3499. Telephone: (215) 861-4048.

Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Atlanta Regional Office, Atlanta Federal Center, 61- Forsyth Street, SW, Suite 4M60, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8909. Telephone: (404) 562-2841.

Region V (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Chicago Regional Office, 233 N. Michigan Ave. – Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 353-7562.

Region VI (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Dallas Regional Office, 1301 Young Street, Room 914, Dallas, TX 75202. Telephone: (214) 767-8844.

Region VII (IA, KS, MO, NE):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Kansas City Regional Office, 601 East 12th Street, Rm. 276, Kansas City, MO 64106. Telephone: (816) 426-2275.

Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Denver Regional Office, 1961 Stout Street, Suite 924, Denver, CO 80294. Telephone: (303) 844-1106.

Region IX (AZ, CA, HI, NV):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, San Francisco Regional Office, 90 – 7th Street, Ninth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. Telephone: (415) 437-8447.

Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA):

Regional Program Manager, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Seattle Regional Office, 2201 Sixth Avenue, room 610 – M/S RX-70, Seattle, WA 98121. Telephone: (206) 615-3661.

Learn more about Head Start Program here.