MEMO: Head Start Message Testing Project
Lead with children. Focus on tangible impact. Strengthen support.
Head Start has long enjoyed broad, bipartisan support. While theprogram has strong name recognition, however, there is significant opportunity to expand its reach and create stronger champions among both new and existing audiences.
In 2025–2026, First Five Years Fund, in partnership with First Five Action, conducted a comprehensive messaging project, including quantitative polling and qualitative focus groups, to identify which messages are most effective at building support for Head Start and turning that support into action.
Key Takeaways
Head Start doesn’t need to manufacture support from scratch or reverse a downward trend. It needs to intensify the support that already exists using the messages that were found to resonate most.
The most compelling case for Head Start is straightforward: Children. Services. Impact.
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