Head Start

Background

In the midst of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, President Johnson famously declared a War on Poverty, and created a number of programs to assist with this goal. In the aftermath of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision to desegregate schools, attention focused on some of the disparities facing children from certain backgrounds as they entered school. For both white and black families, the poverty level was quite high during the 1960s, something that was seen as hindering children of those families once they came to school. It was hoped that proper guidance and education would allow the next generation to enjoy a greater standard of living and more choices regarding employment.

Johnson assembled a panel of experts to help design Project Head Start. This panel included educators, pediatricians, and psychologists. In particular, these experts attempted to target those communities that seemed to evidence the greatest need. Head Start was designed to help preschool-age children who came from impoverished communities with little assistance or educational discipline. The program would help these children gain a “head start” that could influence not only those children who participated in the program but also the community in which they lived.

Launched during the summer of 1965, Head Start was initially an eight-week summer program that focused on helping families assist their preschool-age children grow in a variety of ways, such as physically, emotionally, nutritionally, socially, and psychologically. Although targeted to serve 250,000 children during its first year, Head Start had over 560,000 children enroll. The following year enrollment had grown to 700,000 children. Soon after Head Start's launch, it became apparent to Jule Sugarman, the program director, that eight weeks of preschool immediately before kindergarten was inadequate to make up for five years of living in poverty. As a result, Congress expanded Head Start into a year-round program in 1966.

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