Program that supports children's growth from ages 3 - 5 through services that support early learning and development, health, and family well-being.

Description

Head Start helps families with young children prepare to succeed in life and school. Programs promote children's development through services that support early learning, health, and family well-being. The program helps with early learning, community resources, health, nutrition and social services while being responsive to ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.

Head Start staff actively engage parents, recognizing family participation throughout the program as key to strong child outcomes.

Services may vary in each local community.

Services may include:

• Center based classroom or Family Child Care experiences for children and their families
• Home-based services provided to individual families
• Socialization experiences for children and families
• Leadership, advocacy, and training supports for families
• Coordination with public schools and Early Childhood Special Education

The goal is to deliver services to children and families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners as their child's primary teacher.

Local Head Start services are delivered by public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies supported by local, state, and federal funding.

Features

• Area Served by County
  • Polk County

• Payment
  • Free / no cost to eligible clients

• Specialization
  • People with low income

Eligibility

Eligibility guidelines ensure that families with the greatest need are identified and enrolled as soon as possible.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines are used to determine income eligibility for participation in Head Start programs. Programs establish selection criteria based on local eligibility factors.

A child is eligible if:

• The family's income is equal to or below the poverty line; or
• The family is eligible for or, in the absence of child care, would be potentially eligible for public assistance; including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) child-only payments; participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or
• The child is experiencing homelessness; or
• The child is in foster care. Foster children are eligible regardless of their foster family's income.

Fee

No cost to participating families