Transform Consulting Group is starting a new blog series highlighting different federal programs that provide education and youth development services in communities.
Head Start and Early Head Start are federal programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and social services to children from birth to age 5.
Head Start is one of the longest-running federal initiatives to address poverty in the United States. The program was part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and began in 1965 as an eight-week summer program. The program steadily grew over the years, incorporating bilingual and bicultural programs during the Carter Administration, reaching a budget of $1 billion in the Reagan Administration, and expanding to include Early Head Start during the Clinton Administration.
Head Start was reauthorized in 2007 with additional provisions to bolster the quality of programs, including alignment between Head Start school readiness programs and state early learning standards, higher qualifications for Head Start teachers, and increased program monitoring.
Last year, nearly $7.3 billion in federal funds supported over 900,000 children to participate in Head Start programs; $109 million of these funds came to Indiana to serve a total of 14,820 Hoosier children.
Unlike several federal programs that administered by state agencies, Head Start grants are awarded directly to local organizations serving disadvantaged children. All funding opportunities can be found on the HHS Administration for Children & Families Funding Opportunity Announcements website.
Has your program ever considered funding with federal dollars? Transform Consulting Group can help you write your next federal grant application or assess your capacity to administer a federal program. Contact us today for a free consultation!
