Head Start

Head Start was launched in 1965 as a comprehensive child development program for low-income and disadvantaged children ages three to five. President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty and its desire to improve intellectual capacity and school performance of poor children provided the impetus for the creation of Head Start. It has been one of the government's most successful programs, serving millions of poor children and ensuring, according to a set of performance standards developed for Head Start, that every child enrolled has a medical home (immunizations, health care, and dental care), social and psychological services, parental involvement in the program, and an educational program designed to meet his or her individual needs. Class size and space are closely monitored, and meals provided to the ...