Overview of Head Start
Head Start is one of the few remaining "War on Poverty" programs for the 60’s. Federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families has enabled Head Start programs to provide comprehensive services for low-income Hoosier children and their families for over 35 years. Head Start programs serve children ages three through five. In 1994 federal legislation was passed to establish Early Head Start services for pregnant women, infant and toddlers (ages birth to three). All programs provide early childhood educational, social, medical, dental, nutritional and mental health services to the enrolled children.
The Head Start philosophy is based on three key points. These are:
- Comprehensive child development services. To develop fully and to achieve social competence, children and their families need a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to early childhood development and health services as well as family and community partnerships.
- Parent involvement. Parents are encouraged to become involved in all aspects of the Head Start program, including shared governance in policy and program decisions that respond to their interests and needs. Additionally, Head Start programs work in close partnership with parents and other family members to develop and utilize their strengths so that all involved adults may successfully support child, personal and family goals.
- Community partnerships and community-based services. Specific models of service provision flow out of the characteristics of different communities. To fulfill program and community goals, Head Start programs build linkages and collaborations with other service providers and leaders in the community.
During the 2000-2001 year forty federally funded Early Head Start and Head Start grantees operated in the state; thirty-six Head Start programs with three delegate agencies and twelve Early Head Starts. Of the twelve Early Head Start programs, eight of the programs were affiliated with an existing Head Start grantee and four with non-Head Start grantees. The Head Start programs serve all 92 Indiana counties while Early Head Start programs serve 22 counties. The Head Start Migrant and Farm Laborer programs serves 13 counties throughout the state. See listing of counties with Early Head Start Programs and Migrant program.
Federal financial assistance is directly distributed to the local programs through contracted grantees. Program staff work in conjunction with and report to the Region V Administration of Children and Families office in Chicago.
In 2000-2001 Indiana funding totaled $72,855,813 with $67,125,322 designated for Head Start programs and another $5,730,491for Early Head Start services. The funding was provided to serve 13,323 infants, toddlers and preschoolers in 718 classrooms located in 294 centers throughout the state. In reality over 15,400 children received some type of service from the programs.
The Head Start program grantees are categorized as follows: 16 community action agencies, 5 school systems, 1 governmental entity, and the remaining 14 grantees are private/public non-profit/for profit agencies. The Early Head Start grantees are affiliated with the following entities: 4 non-Head Start grantees are private/public non-profits organizations while the breakdown of the Head Start affiliated programs include 1 school system, 3 community action agencies and 4 private/public non-profit/for-profit agencies.
Indiana Head Start program relationships with state agencies have been normally confined to licensing through the Bureau of Child Care, the Child Care Food Program through the Department of Education, the Commercial Driver’s Licensing for bus drivers through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and as needed, bus inspection by the State Police. Programs also provide immunization statistics to the Indiana Department of Health. With the increased national emphasis on partnerships programs relationships with other state agencies and entities are gradually expanding.
