Links

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that funds state, territory, local, and tribal organizations to provide family assistance (welfare), child support, child care, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs relating to children and families. Actual services are provided by state, county, city and tribal governments, and public and private local agencies. ACF is headed by Dr. Wade F. Horn, the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.

The Office of Head Start
The Head Start program is administered by the Office of Head Start, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Grants are awarded by the ACF Regional Offices and the Head Start Bureau’s American Indian and Migrant Program Branches directly to local public agencies, private non-profit and for-profit organizations, Indian Tribes and school systems for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at the community level. Channell Wilkins is the Director of the Office of Head Start.

Boston Regional Office of the Administration for Children and Families (Region 1)
Regional offices represent ACF to state, county, city, and tribal governments, grantees, and public and private organizations and oversee the administration of the agency's programs. ACF programs include: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Tribal TANF, Head Start, Child Support Enforcement, Foster Care, Child Welfare, Adoption Assistance, Child Care, Runaway and Homeless Youth and Developmental Disabilities. There are 10 regional offices that serve states, territories, tribes, and other grantees in their geographical areas. Hugh Galligan is the Regional Administrator. Massachusetts Head Start programs are part of Region 1, and Louise Eldridge is the Regional Program Manager for the Office of Head Start, Region 1.

The Head Start Quality Initiative
The Head Start Quality Initiative provides technical assistance to Head Start and Early Head Start grantees throughout New England. The mission of the Head Start Quality Initiative is to ensure, through the provision of expert knowledge and technical support, that Head Start and Early Head Start grantees in New England deliver high-quality services and meet all national performance standards and requirements. The Region 1 TA system is comprised of a regional team of experts and is administered by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute under contract with the Federal Administration for Children and Families Region 1 Office. Their office is located within the Region 1 ACF office. If you have questions, please email Dee Bertozzi, the Director, or call at (617) 565-1712.

National Head Start Association
The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is a private not-for-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families. It represents more than 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 2,700 Head Start programs in the United States. The Association provides support for the entire Head Start community by advocating for policies that strengthen services to Head Start children and their families; by providing extensive training and professional development to Head Start staff; and by developing and disseminating research, information, and resources that enrich Head Start program delivery.

MASSCAP (Massachusetts Association for Community Action)
MASSCAP is the association of the 25 Massachusetts Community Action Agencies in Massachusetts. Community Action Agencies (CAAs, also known as Community Action Programs or CAPs) are private, non-profit human service and advocacy organizations that were established by Congress and the President over 30 years ago to fight poverty by opening the doors to self-sufficiency. CAAs provide emergency assistance to people in crisis; address the causes of poverty through programs that fight unemployment, inadequate housing, poor nutrition, and lack of educational opportunity; and provide training in advocacy skills. Approximately two-thirds of Head Start programs within Massachusetts are administered by CAAs.

Zero to Three
ZERO TO THREE is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the healthy development of infants and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families, communities, and those who work on their behalf. The organization is dedicated to advancing current knowledge; promoting beneficial policies and practices; communicating research and best practices to a wide variety of audiences; and providing training, technical assistance and leadership development.

Early Head Start National Resource Center
The Early Head Start National Resource Center (EHS NRC) was created in 1995 by the Head Start Bureau. It is operated by Zero to Three. The EHS NRC supports high quality services to Early Head Start and Migrant Head Start expectant parents and families with infants and toddlers. The EHS NRC is a storehouse of early childhood expertise that promotes the building of new knowledge and the sharing of information by:

• Linking and actively engaging the Early Head Start and the Head Start community through opportunities in coordination with the Head Start Bureau's On-line Learning Center, to share resources and learn from one another in a variety of venues;
• Creating, collecting, and disseminating information relevant to comprehensive early childhood programs that is timely, accessible, and easy to use; and
• Providing professional development opportunities for the Early Head Start and Head Start community through face-to-face meetings and state-of-the-art distance learning experiences.

Department of Early Education and Care
The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) is a state agency that was formed on July 1, 2005 to bring together all early education and care programs in the Commonwealth within a single department. The new department is responsible for licensing all center-based, family child care, and school age programs; purchasing early education and care services; providing consumer education, addressing the workforce development needs of the early education and care provider communities; processing criminal history checks for all licensed providers; and assisting staff to obtain the appropriate credentials to teach in or administer early education and care programs. Ann Reale is the Commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care.