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Office of Head Start

About the Office of Head Start

Office of Head Start administers grant funding and oversight to agencies that provide Head Start services in communities across the country. OHS also provides policy direction and training and technical assistance.

Head Start FAQs

Head Start programs offer families support services and the chance to participate as full partners in their child's education. Parents can refer to these FAQs to learn more about the national program.

How to Apply

Get answers to your questions about the steps to enroll your child in a Head Start program. If you are pregnant, you can also follow these steps to enroll in Head Start services for yourself.

Office of Head Start (OHS)

The Office of Head Start (OHS) administers grant funding and oversight to the agencies that provide Head Start services.

Head Start History

In January 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty. It launched a comprehensive child development program that would help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children.

Head Start Service Location Datasets

Developers can use this page to create and download datasets of Head Start centers. Input a city, state, ZIP code, or grant number. Also select which type of Head Start center you wish to include in your dataset.

Download Plug-ins and System Requirements

Some of the files on HeadStart.gov (e.g., PDFs or Microsoft Word documents) require a viewer or "plug-in" to open or view. These plug-ins are very common, so you likely already have them on your computer, but if not, you may need to install a particular one to view some of the files on this site.