Head Start

Head Start

The Head Start program provides comprehensive services to young children whose families earn low incomes in order to facilitate their social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Services include education, health, nutrition, screening for developmental delays, and a variety of family social services when needed. Federal Head Start funds are awarded directly to more than 1,600 grantees; local programs are tailored to the needs of children in different communities. For more information, see below.

• Head Start Background One-Pager 
• Head Start Facts  (Enrollment and Funding)

• GAO report, Head Start: Undercover Testing Finds Fraud and Abuse at Selected Head Start Centers. May 2010   ( 262.99 KB )
• Carmen Nazario, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, testimony before the House Education and Labor Committee, May 2010   ( 774.3 KB )
• Secretary Sebelius Letter to Grantees