History of Head Start

Head Start is a comprehensive child development program that has the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children from low-income families. The idea for Head Start was originally conceived in 1964 by a task force that recommended the development of a federally sponsored preschool program to meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. From the outset Head Start was designed as a program for children and families and was structured to allow parents to help plan and run their programs. In 1965, the Office of Economic Opportunity launched Project Head Start as an eight-week summer program. Since this time Head Start has continued to grow and is now available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Pacific Insular Areas. In 1994 services were expanded to include infants, toddlers and pregnant families. Programs for American-Indian and Alaska Native children and families are also available as well as Migrant/Seasonal programs to meet the needs of highly mobile families.

Head Start is now a program within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Region 1 Office of the Administration for Children and Families www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/region 1 oversees Head Start operations in Massachusetts. For fiscal year 2004, Head Start was federally funded at over $6.6 billion and served over 909,608 children and their families. Approximately $107 million was allocated to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Early/Head Start services to low-income families and programs enrolled over 15,000 children. Since its inception in 1965 over 22 million children from birth to age five and their families have participated in Head Start nationwide.