The Changing Head Start Landscape

The Head Start Program – founded in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty to provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, and nutrition to low-income children – has grown steadily in the last 50 years.

As of 2012, there were 1,600 organizations operating Head Start and Early Head Start, programs cumulatively serving 1,130,000 children ages birth to 5, and pregnant women. Of operating organizations, Head Start participation comes in three varieties (in addition to whatever their non-Head Start service lines are) – 43% percent of grantees operated Head Start preschool services only, 13 . . .