Mission
The Office of Head Start (OHS) promotes the school readiness of young children from families with low incomes by supporting the comprehensive development of children from birth to age 5.
Head Start programs provide services that support children’s early learning and development, health, and family well-being. Programs partner with families and communities to help children thrive and prepare for success in school and beyond.
Learn more about Head Start Program Services.
Authority
The Head Start program is authorized by the Head Start Act. The Act establishes the federal framework for Head Start programs, including Head Start preschool and Early Head Start. It outlines requirements for the delivery of comprehensive services to eligible children and families
OHS, within the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Head Start program and provides oversight, policy direction, funding, and support to grant recipients across the country.
Head Start programs are also governed by the Head Start Program Performance Standards, which establish requirements for program operations and the delivery of high-quality services to children and families.
History
The Head Start program began in 1965 as a national effort to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children from families with low incomes with comprehensive services designed to meet their educational, health, nutritional, and social-emotional needs.
Since then, the Head Start program has expanded to serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and families through Head Start preschool, Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs.
For more than six decades, Head Start has partnered with families and communities to support children’s healthy development, strengthen families, and promote school readiness.