Head Start Act
Head Start
The Head Start program was created in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” Head Start programs promote school readiness by fostering the social and cognitive development of low-income children through educational, health, social and other necessary services to enable children to reach their full potential and be ready to enter school ready to learn.
Head Start has always been a family-focused program, and national leaders began early to promote active involvement of local Head Start providers in family literacy efforts. The Head Start Family Literacy Initiative has left the details of implementation within the discretion of the local Head Start agency, but the goals are clear:
- To enable Head Start parents to develop and use literacy skills, which enable them to become more active and effective participants in the community, in the workplace, in their child’s education and development, and in their efforts to obtain economic and social self-sufficiency.
- To enhance children’s literacy development by helping parents become more effective as their child’s “first teachers.”
The 1998 reauthorization of Head Start clarified the definition for family literacy services to be consistent with other laws. Besides including the comprehensive definition of family literacy services, the 1998 Head Start Act reauthorization promoted more intensive and comprehensive models of family literacy and publicized the most successful local efforts.
As a result, the Head Start Act was amended to require that the Secretary of Health and Human Services use at least $3 million of the technical assistance monies annually set aside to provide technical assistance and training to Head Start grantees currently providing family literacy services. This technical assistance will be provided to those Head Start grantees in order to improve the quality of family literacy services delivered.
Funding: Head Start programs are funded directly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services via a competitive award process.
Use of Funds: Funds must be used to serve low-income families.
Resources:
Early Head Start
Early Head Start was created in 1994 when Congress reauthorized the Head Start Act. Its purpose is to promote the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of infants and toddlers of low-income families, and it enables parents to be better caregivers and teachers to their children. Early Head Start programs may be center-based, home-based, a combination of these or a specially designed program to meet local needs. Grantees may be existing Head Start programs, child care programs, schools, government agencies, tribal authorities, community action agencies and public or private organizations. Programs are encouraged to form community partnerships to provide additional needed services for the families they serve, such as adult education, housing and health care.
Funding: Head Start programs are funded directly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services via a competitive award process.
Use of Funds: Funds must be used to serve low-income families.