Head Start

Launched as a summer project in 1965 by the United States Office of Economic Opportunity, Head Start is federal program that was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing educational, social, and other services to preschool-aged children from low-income families. Since 1980, the Department of Health and Human Services has overseen Head Start as a program under the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. Over 40 years since its creation, the basic tenets of Head Start have been maintained, although refinements and expansions have been inevitable with congressional reauthorizations occurring every five years. For example, in 1995, Head Start services were extended downward to children under three via Early Head Start, aimed at promoting healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant women, enhancing the development of very young children, and working toward healthier family functioning. In 2007, nearly 900,000 three- to five-year-old children were served, with approximately another 9,000 children under age three.

At the core of the Head Start model since its inception has been its emphasis on addressing the development of the whole child, not only in the realms of social behavior and cognition, but their emotional, mental, and physical health, and nutritional needs as [Page 348]well. With respect to the nutritional needs, frequent medical screening, immunizations, and dental services are provided, as well as hot meals and nutritional guidance. Unfortunately, children of low-income and minority status—the very demographic groups that are overrepresented in Head Start enrollments—are most likely to develop childhood obesity. For example, two recent studies have reported alarming rates of overweight (above the 95th percentile for age and sex) for black and Hispanic preschoolers attending Head Start centers in Texas (17 percent) and New Jersey (28 percent). On the positive side, the opportunity to serve nourishing meals and establish good eating practices in Head Start centers represents an unmatched opportunity for nutrition education and the promotion of physical activity in at-risk children. To this end, the 2007 U.S. Senate reauthorization bill includes important language regarding childhood obesity prevention efforts as part of Head Start.