Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and their families. They are child-focused programs, and have the overall goal of increasing social competence of young children in low-income families. By "social competence" is meant the child's everyday effectiveness in dealing with both his or her present environment and later responsibilities in school and life. Social competence takes into account the interrelatedness of social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.

The Head Start program has a long tradition of delivering comprehensive and high quality services designed to foster healthy development in low-income children. Head Start grantee and delegate agencies provide a range of individualized services in the areas of education and early childhood development, medical, dental, and mental health, nutrition, and parent involvement. In addition, the entire range of Head Start services is responsive and appropriate to each child and family's developmental, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage and experience. (Source: Head Start Program Performance Standards and Program Guidance, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start, pg. 1).

Visit the Office of Head Start Web site (www2.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb) for more detailed information about the Head Start program..

Other related websites:

• National Child Care Information Center

  Sponsored by the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, this site provides a central access point for child care related information. It also includes links to other organizations and provides full text documents.

• Child Care Bureau

  Information on the Child Care and Development Block Grant, links to other Administration on Children and Families sites and other information within the Department of Health and Human Services, with links to other related child care sites.

For more related information web sites click on Information Resources.