Head Start programs support children’s growth from birth to age 5 through services centered around early learning and development, health, and family well-being. Head Start staff actively engage parents, recognizing family participation throughout the program as key to strong child outcomes.

Head Start services are available at no cost to children ages birth to 5 in eligible families. Head Start preschool services work with children ages 3 to 5 and their families. Early Head Start services work with families that have children ages birth to 3, and many also serve expectant families. Many programs operate both Head Start preschool and Early Head Start services. Programs deliver child development services in center-based, home-based, or family child care settings. Head Start programs operate in every state, many tribal nations, and several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. All Head Start programs continually work toward our mission for eligible children and families to receive high-quality services in safe and healthy settings that prepare children for school and life.

• Build strong relationships as the foundational driver for early learning.
• Engage families in their child’s learning and recognizing parents as a child’s first and most influential teacher.
• Implement effective practices to promote children’s growth in five key domains (approaches to learning, social and emotional development, language and literacy, cognition, and physical development).
• Encourage learning through play, creative expression, and guided activities with schedules and lesson plans that include the cultural and language heritage of each child and family in relevant ways.
• Create welcoming learning environments in indoor and outdoor settings that are well-organized and safe.
• Conduct ongoing screenings and assessments to guarantee each child is making progress.
• Collaborate with parents and community agencies when further assessment is needed.
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• Engage all children in both indoor and outdoor physical activity .
• Serve breakfast, lunch, and snacks that are healthy and nutritious .
• Ensure children receive medical, dental, hearing, vision, and behavioral screening .
• Make sure children brush their teeth after meals; promote oral health and hygiene .
• Help families understand and support their child’s health and behavioral health needs.
• Assist with mental health services for children and families, as needed.
• Build resilience to help children and families heal from traumatic experiences or events and overwhelming situations.

• Offer parenting support and strategies.
• Support parental health and links to community services during pregnancy .
• Connect families to community and federal assistance.
• Help families identify and reach their goals and dreams, including those related to finances and economic mobility , housing, employment, and education.
• Provide a career pathway in early care and education — about 22% of program staff are current or former Head Start parents.

• Invite parents to share information and insights about their child.
• Celebrate the role of fathers and male caregivers through father engagement .
• Engage parents as their child’s lifelong advocate.
• Welcome parents to offer ways to improve children and families’ experiences in the program, including through leadership roles on the Policy Council .
• Support child and family transitions to the next step in Head Start, kindergarten, or another early childhood program.

Since 1965, Head Start programs have reached more than 38 million children and their families.

Children enrolled in Head Start programs are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college; have improved social, emotional, and behavioral development; and are better prepared to be parents themselves than similar children who do not attend the program. Children enrolled in Early Head Start programs have significantly fewer child welfare encounters related to sexual or physical abuse between the ages of 5 and 9 than those who don’t attend. Research consistently shows a broad array of benefits for children at the end of their Head Start enrollment. While these benefits may appear to diminish in the early grades, economic benefits emerge as children become adults. The Head Start program’s two-generation design — coupled with research-based, high-quality comprehensive services — has the power to change children’s outcomes.