Long Island Head Start

What Long Island Head Start does

Long Island Head Start, legally organized as L.I. Child and Family Development Services, Inc., is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the designated Head Start and Early Head Start grantee for Suffolk County, New York. Founded in 1966 as the first Head Start program in the county, the organization now operates more than 20 NYS daycare-licensed centers across Patchogue, Shirley, Brentwood, Medford, East Northport, Southold, Riverhead, Amityville, Bay Shore, Huntington, Wyandanch, Bellport, Bridgehampton, West Islip and additional Long Island locations, serving thousands of low-income and at-risk children from birth through age five.

The organization runs three interconnected programs: a Head Start program for ages 3-5, an Early Head Start program for infants and toddlers from birth to 3, and the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) program that layers federal funding and standards onto six licensed daycare partners to deliver full-day, full-year services for working families. Service delivery is in-person and center-based, with no proprietary technology platform disclosed. Programming is built on a research-based curriculum stack (Creative Curriculum, Second Step, Color Me Healthy), bilingual (English/Spanish) family engagement, and integrated health screenings, nutrition, family support, and disability services.

The business model is a federally funded grant model rather than a commercial revenue model. Approximately 80% of operating funding flows from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Head Start grant; the remaining 20% must be raised from community contributions, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events (including an annual gala and targeted GoFundMe campaigns). Services are delivered at no cost to eligible families meeting federal income, homelessness, TANF/SSI, foster, or disability criteria. Go-to-market is community-led: year-round applications, parent Policy Council referrals, community partnerships, and bilingual web and social outreach. The organization is governed by a Board chaired by Terrence D. Goode and led by CEO Debrah Everett-Garcia.

Name

Long Island Head Start

Legal name

L.I. Child and Family Development Services, Inc.

Website

https://liheadstart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Long Island Head Start is a Suffolk County, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start early childhood education and family support services to thousands of low-income and at-risk children from birth through age five across more than 20 licensed centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACABAK

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Preschools & Pre-K Programs

SECONDARYEDACAGAA

Center-Based Infant Care (0–18 months)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Infant & Toddler Care Programs

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Head Start programs
• Child development services
• Preschool education
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wyandanch

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding: Long Island Head Start operates as a federal Head Start program under the US Department of Health and Human Services, receiving primary funding through government grants for early childhood education services to low-income and at-risk families.
2. Community Contributions: The organization is required to generate 20% of its funding from contributions and donations from the community. This includes individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events such as the annual gala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Long Island Head Start provides free, comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to income-eligible children from birth through age five. The organization delivers Head Start (ages 3-5), Early Head Start (birth to 3), and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships through more than 20 licensed centers and partner family child care providers throughout Suffolk County, NY, serving more than 2,400 children daily.

Product overview

Long Island Head Start operates as a unified early childhood education service organization offering three interconnected programs. The core Head Start Program serves preschool-aged children (3-5 years) with comprehensive educational services across over 20 licensed centers. The Early Head Start Program extends services to infants and toddlers (birth to 3) at four locations, providing developmentally appropriate care. The EHS-Child Care Partnerships program layers Early Head Start services onto existing child care settings to serve working families. Together, these programs provide a continuum of care from birth through age 5, with shared components including health screenings, nutrition services, family support, and disability services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Head Start Program Free early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services for income-eligible children ages 3 to 5, delivered through the organization's licensed centers in Suffolk County.
• Early Head Start Program Free early childhood education, health, and family support services for income-eligible children from birth through age 3 and their families, delivered through Long Island Head Start's centers.
• Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) Partnership-based delivery of Early Head Start services for income-eligible children birth to age 3 through licensed family child care providers in the community, extending the program's reach beyond Long Island Head Start's directly operated centers.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alicia's Day CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlicia's Day Care in Shirley, NY is a partner in the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) program. The daycare provider delivers comprehensive Early Head Start services through layering of funding, meeting safety requirements and providing full-day/full-year services for low-income working families.
• Bay Shore Day Care & PreschoolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBay Shore Day Care & Preschool is a partner in the EHS-CCP program, providing comprehensive Early Head Start services through layered funding. The facility offers full-day, full-year child care with flexible services responding to the needs of working families.
• Marks of Excellence Child CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarks of Excellence Child Care in Amityville, NY participates in the EHS-CCP program, delivering Early Head Start comprehensive services through partnership with Long Island Head Start.
• Cloud 9 Day CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCloud 9 Day Care in Brentwood, NY is an EHS-CCP partner, providing comprehensive early learning and care services that integrate Early Head Start standards with traditional child care.
• New Beginnings Day CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Beginnings Day Care participates in the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships program, providing full-day, full-year child care services with comprehensive family-centered support.
• Story Book Hollow Children's AcademycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStory Book Hollow Children's Academy in Selden, NY is a partner in the EHS-CCP program, delivering comprehensive Early Head Start services through licensed facilities that meet safety requirements and provide nurturing learning environments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Family Service League of Long Island: Long Island-based human services nonprofit serving low-income and at-risk families across Suffolk County with programs including early childhood and family support. Comparable as a regional nonprofit with similar funding mix and target population.
• SCO Family of Services: Long Island-based nonprofit serving children, youth, and families through early childhood, foster care, and community programs. Operates comparable child and family services across Suffolk County and shares the same nonprofit / public-funding model.
• YMCA of Long Island: Regional nonprofit operator of child care, after-school, and youth programs across Long Island, including early childhood education and family services. Comparable as a community-rooted nonprofit child care provider in the same geography.
• Catholic Charities of Long Island: A Long Island nonprofit providing child care, family services, and early childhood programs across multiple sites in Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Directly comparable as a multi-site early childhood provider in the same region with similar federal/state funding model.
• Child Care Council of Suffolk: The local child care resource and referral agency for Suffolk County, serving the same geography and the same families with child care information, training, and referrals. Directly comparable as a community-based child care intermediary operating in the same Long Island market.

Others

• EAC Network: Long Island and New York City human services nonprofit providing child care subsidy administration and family support. Comparable as a regional administrative partner in the publicly-funded child care system serving similar families.

Broad incumbents

• KinderCare Learning Companies: The largest for-profit chain of early childhood education centers in the U.S., with thousands of licensed locations. Overlaps in the same center-based early childhood category, though commercial rather than Head Start-funded.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: The largest U.S. for-profit provider of employer-sponsored child care and early education, operating centers nationwide including in suburban New York. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering center-based early childhood services, though for-profit versus nonprofit.
• National Head Start Association: The national membership and advocacy organization for Head Start programs, representing more than 1,000 grantees across the U.S. Operates as the broad incumbent in the same federally-funded early childhood space.

Regional players

• SCOPE Education Services: Long Island-based education services nonprofit providing Pre-K programs, after-school programming, and enrichment. Comparable as a regional early childhood education provider on Long Island serving similar low-income populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/start_long
• Facebookfacebook.com/longislandheadstart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/long-island-head-start

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Long Island Head Start