Head Start

Head Start is a federal program in the United States, designed to enhance the development of low-income children utilizing a comprehensive, community-based model of intervention. It was originally formulated as a program of the War on Poverty declared by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In the mid-1960s, issues of poverty, racial injustice, and social disadvantage were a target of federal policy. Concerns about poor children’s educational disadvantage led to a focus on early child education by offering a program that could provide a “head start” to avoid students falling further behind. Head Start is a comprehensive program, designed to meet the emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs for healthy child development. Currently, Head Start is administered by the Office of Head Start (OHS), within ...