Early Head Start
Last Revised: December 9, 2025
- Issue Areas
- Early childhood
- Outcomes
- Kindergarten readiness
Program overview
Providing comprehensive child development services: Early Head Start is a federally funded early childhood education and development program for pregnant women and children under three from low income families. It provides a range of in-home and center based services to promote healthy child development and good parenting practices:
Targeting low-income families: Early Head Start programs are available to families whose income fall below the federal poverty line or who receive TANF or SSI benefits. All foster children may also receive Early Head Start services.
Offering-in home services: Early Head Start programming can be delivered in a variety of ways. One option is home-based services in which staff visit families' homes for an hour and a half once a week and provide educational activities and programming to support child development. At-home program participants have the opportunity to meet with other families for social activities and educational discussion several times a year.
Supplying center-based programming: Early Head Start may also be delivered via in-person classroom programming which follows the schedule of local public schools. During the summer, these individuals are offered the same services as families in the home-based care program.
- Strategies
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Child care and early education programs
Multiple studies with rigorous designs demonstrate that Early Head Start is a well-established strategy for improving parenting and children's cognitive and social emotional development.
- This assessment is based on a 2024 research synthesis.
Tailor childcare to the cultural context: In order to develop trusting relationships between Early Head Start administrators and families, particularly in the home-based context, staff should reflect the language and cultural diversity of the individuals they serve. Childcare approaches should be adapted to the cultural norms and traditions of the community the Early Head Start Program serves.
Link to local Head Start programs: In order to ensure that participants have access to pre-school education and can smoothly transition into a more advanced classroom setting, Programs should form partnerships with local Head Start organizations. They can provide informational sessions to parents about how to enroll their children in Head Start and offer services to encourage participation like meetings with Head Start administrators and facility tours.
Partner with local community-based organizations: Early Head Start programs serve vulnerable populations. In order to help parents access services they need and increase stability for children, providers should create a network of local social service organizations that can help parents access medical care, employment and housing services and other benefits they may be eligible for. Programs may also be able to partner with community-organizations to offer medical and other necessary services to participating children during center-based program hours.