Building the Foundation: Head Start Strengthens Early Learning Nationwide

Head Start provides funding directly to local grantees who operate in rural, urban, and suburban communities across the country and tailor programs based on their community’s specific needs and resources. With a proven record of improving outcomes for the children and families it serves, many cities and states have built their early learning systems around Head Start and rely on these grants, paired with other funding sources, to serve children from a variety of backgrounds.

Further, as states increasingly invest in preschool, Early Head Start is often the only source of free early learning services for children under three. In this way, Head Start has become inextricable from child care and early learning systems nationwide, helping to maximize the reach and impact of local, state, and federal funds.

DownloadHead Start Foundations – October 2025 (159.69 kB)