MISSION STATEMENT
The Office of Head Start (OHS) advises the Assistant Secretary
for Children and Families on issues regarding the Head Start program
(including Early Head Start). The Office develops legislative and
budgetary proposals; identifies areas for research, demonstration,
and developmental activities; presents operational planning
objectives and initiatives relating to Head Start to the Assistant
Secretary for Administration for Children and Families; and oversees
the progress of approved activities. OHS provides leadership and
coordination for the activities of the Head Start program in the ACF
Central Office including the Head Start Regional Program Units. The
Office represents Head Start in inter-agency activities with other
Federal and non-Federal organizations.
Early Head Start promotes healthy prenatal outcomes, enhances the
development of infants and toddlers, and promotes healthy family
functioning.
PURPOSE
Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness
by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children
through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social
and other services to enrolled children and families.
OFFICE OF HEAD
START ORGANIZATIONAL CHART [PDF 32KB]
OFFICE OF HEAD
START (OHS)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Head Start program provides grants to local public and
private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive
child development services to economically disadvantaged children
and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop
the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in
school. In FY 1995, the Early Head Start program was established to
serve children from birth to three years of age in recognition of
the mounting evidence that the earliest years matter a great deal to
children's growth and development.
Head Start programs promote school readiness by enhancing the
social and cognitive development of children through the provision
of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to
enrolled children and families. They engage parents in their
children's learning and help them in making progress toward their
educational, literacy and employment goals. Significant emphasis is
placed on the involvement of parents in the administration of local
Head Start programs.
PROGRAM SERVICES
- Early Childhood Development and Health
- Family and Community Partnerships
Early Childhood Development and Health
Head Start’s commitment to wellness embraces a comprehensive
vision of health for children, families, and staff. The objective of
Child Health and Development Services is to ensure that, through
collaboration among families, staff, and health professionals, all
child health and developmental concerns are identified, and children
and families are linked to an ongoing source of continuous,
accessible care to meet their basic health needs.
The objective of Education and Early Childhood Development is to
provide all children with a safe, nurturing, engaging, enjoyable,
and secure learning environment, in order to help them gain the
awareness, skills, and confidence necessary to succeed in their
present environment, and to deal with later responsibilities in
school and in life. Each child is treated as an individual in an
inclusive community that values, respects, and responds to
diversity. The varied experiences provided by the program support
the continuum of children’s growth and development, which includes
the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of each
child.
Family and Community Partnerships
Head Start offers parents opportunities and support for growth,
so that they can identify their own strengths, needs and interests,
and find their own solutions. The objective of Family Partnerships
is to support parents as they identify and meet their own goals,
nurture the development of their children in the context of their
family and culture, and advocate for communities that are supportive
of children and families of all cultures. The building of trusting,
collaborative relationships between parents and staff allows them to
share with and to learn from one another.
Head Start serves families within the context of the community,
and recognizes that many other agencies and groups work with the
same families. The objective of Community Partnerships is to ensure
that grantee and delegate agencies collaborate with partners in
their communities, in order to provide the highest level of services
to children and families, to foster the development of a continuum
of family centered services, and to advocate for a community that
shares responsibility for the healthy development of children and
families of all cultures.
FUNDING
Grants are awarded by the ACF
Regional Offices and the Office of Head Start's American Indian -
Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Program Branches directly to
local public agencies, private organizations, Indian Tribes and
school systems for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at
the community level.
HEAD
START PROGRAM FACT SHEETS
Find information on
budget, enrollment, demographic and program figures for Head Start.
Fiscal Year
2008
Fiscal Year
2007
Fiscal Year
2006
Fiscal Year
2005
Fiscal Year
2004
REPORTS
CONTACT INFORMATION
Administration for
Children and Families
Office of Head Start
1250 Maryland
Avenue SW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20024
Telephone:
202.205.8572
