What IHSA does

The Indiana Head Start Association (IHSA) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1965 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, that serves as the state-level coordinating body for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. It supports approximately 42 member programs operating across 270+ locations in nearly every Indiana county, collectively serving 12,000-13,000 children from birth to age five and employing close to 4,000 staff statewide. IHSA's core offerings are advocacy, professional development events (including an Emerging Leaders leadership series at $99/session and an annual conference at $299/attendee), a community partners vendor network of 13+ curriculum, assessment, and health resource providers, and a county-based "Find a Head Start" locator service that connects families to local programs. The underlying technology footprint is minimal — IHSA operates a WordPress-based public website, a password-protected member toolkit, and standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), with no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI components.

IHSA generates revenue primarily through community partnership memberships priced at $250 annually, paid event registrations for professional development, and likely supplemental grants and sponsorships that are not publicly disclosed. Its customers are two distinct segments: (1) institutional member Head Start programs that pay dues and consume advocacy, training, and partnership benefits, and (2) low-income Indiana families (including foster children and homeless children as categorically eligible populations) who access services through member programs at no cost. The association is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Kim Ryan (Bauer Family Resources), Vice President Lisa Kipker (Brightpoint), Treasurer Robyn Duffy (Carey Services), and Secretary Molly Wuchner (TRI-CAP), with Executive Director Rhett Cecil overseeing daily operations. The organization is heavily exposed to federal Head Start funding cycles, which has become an acute risk during the 2025 government shutdown that threatened 2,662 Indiana student slots and 850 staff positions.

Name

IHSA

Legal name

Indiana Head Start Association

Website

https://indianaheadstart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Indiana Head Start Association is a non-profit membership association founded in 1965 that supports 42 Head Start programs across Indiana, serving roughly 13,000 low-income children birth to age five through advocacy, professional development, and a community partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: IHSA generates revenue through community partnership memberships ($250 annually), providing access to board/committees, free vendor space at conferences, and professional development opportunities for member organizations.
2. Conference and event revenue: Professional development events including the annual conference generate revenue through registration fees ($99 for Emerging Leaders events, $299 for annual conference).
3. Professional development events: IHSA offers paid professional development events for members including training cohorts and the annual conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IHSA is a state-level non-profit association that provides advocacy, professional development, collaborative partnerships, and education resources for the 42 Head Start and Early Head Start programs operating across Indiana. It connects low-income families with children birth to age 5 to local Head Start providers via a county-based locator, and supports member programs through paid training events, a member toolkit, and a community partner network of curriculum, materials, and health education vendors.

Product overview

IHSA is a non-profit association that serves as an advocacy and support organization for Head Start and Early Head Start programs throughout Indiana. The organization operates as a unified resource hub offering professional development events, a member toolkit, community partner connections, and a program locator service. The core programs are Head Start (serving children birth to age 5) and Early Head Start (serving pregnant women, infants, and toddlers). IHSA provides these programs through advocacy, professional development, collaborative partnerships, and education opportunities rather than operating direct service centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Head Start (Indiana) A federally-funded early childhood education program serving children from birth to age 5 from low-income families in Indiana, providing free high-quality education, healthy meals, regular health and dental checkups, and family support services including help finding jobs, housing, and local resources. IHSA supports the 42 Indiana programs delivering Head Start across 270+ locations statewide.
• Early Head Start (Indiana) An extension of Head Start focusing on serving pregnant women, infants, and toddlers from low-income families in Indiana. Provides prenatal support, early learning experiences, parenting education, and early intervention services for children with developmental delays or disabilities.
• Professional Development Events Paid training workshops, seminars, and conferences for Head Start staff including the Emerging Leaders three-part leadership training series ($99 per ticket) and the IHSA Annual Conference ($299 per attendee, e.g., 2026 conference at Embassy Suites in Noblesville, IN).
• Community Partners Program (Membership) Annual Community Partnership membership at $250 per year providing access to IHSA board/committees, free vendor space at IHSA conferences and events, and the opportunity to bring professional development leaders to Head Start agencies. Connects Head Start programs with educational vendors such as Lakeshore Learning Materials, Brookes Publishing, Teaching Strategies, Kaplan Early Learning, Frogstreet, LENA, and others.
• Indiana Head Start Locator A county-based online search tool allowing Indiana families to find the nearest Head Start program by selecting their county from a dropdown menu, with direct contact assistance available via IHSA staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 65,000 children nationwide may lose access to Head Start if government shutdown continues
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Federal Office of Head StartcoreOthers · 1 January 1994The federal program established in 1994 created Early Head Start to serve pregnant women, infants, and toddlers from low-income families. IHSA member programs receive federal grants through this office.
• Lakeshore Learning MaterialsminorOthersRegional partner providing educational materials and resources to Head Start programs. Contact: Kristen Lopshire, Regional Manager, 317-719-6601.
• V as in Victor Advertising & DesignminorOthersAdvertising agency that designed IHSA's new logo and website, and designed Geminus Head Start's annual report. Contact: Matt Valuckis, Principal, 312-883-8520.
• Breathe (Health Education Pros)minorOthersHealth education consulting partner. Contact: Tanya S. Shelburne, MPH, C.H.E.S., 317-902-4505.
• Brookes Publishing Co.minorOthersEducational publisher providing resources for Head Start programs in Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. Contact: Jeff Stickler, Educational Sales Consultant, 317-250-2977.
• Devereux Center for Resilient ChildrenminorOthersOrganization providing resources for children's resilience and development. Contact: Susan Damico, Director, 866-872-4687.
• FrogstreetminorOthersEarly childhood curriculum provider. Contact: Elaine Pardieck, Sales Consultant, 812-498-2277.
• Indiana Head Start Collaboration Office (FSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState collaboration office within the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Contact: Ashleigh Moon, Director, 317-234-5071.
• Kaplan Early Learning CompanyminorOthersEarly learning materials and resources supplier for Indiana and Southern Illinois. Contact: Della Micco, Territory Manager, 260-261-5031.
• LENAminorOthersLanguage development organization. Contact: Charlotte Johnson, M.Ed, Statewide Manager for Indiana, 303-441-9033.
• Teaching StrategiesminorOthersEarly childhood curriculum and assessment provider. Contact: Kelly Kincaid-Viox, Regional Manager, 513-312-4345.
• Learn the Signs. Act Early. (CDC)minorOthersCDC initiative for early childhood developmental screening. Resources available at actearlyindiana.org and brighterfuturesindiana.org/ilead.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Larger, established early childhood education membership organization covering the entire sector (not just Head Start). Overlaps with IHSA on advocacy, accreditation, and professional development, but addresses a broader audience.

Direct peers

• National Head Start Association (NHSA): National umbrella membership association for all Head Start programs in the U.S. IHSA is effectively the Indiana state affiliate; same member model, advocacy, and professional development mission.

Regional players

• Michigan Head Start Association: Michigan state association for Head Start grantees, providing advocacy and professional development parallel to IHSA in Indiana.
• Indiana Association of Child Care Resource and Referral (IACCRR): Indiana statewide network for child care resource and referral agencies; shares IHSA's family-facing navigation and provider-support mission but serves the broader child care market, not exclusively Head Start.
• Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC): Indiana state affiliate of NAEYC; operates in the same Indiana early childhood ecosystem as IHSA, advocating for educators and offering training, but not specific to Head Start grantees.
• Kentucky Head Start Association: Kentucky state Head Start membership association with overlapping vendor partnerships (e.g., Brookes Publishing) and similar advocacy/training offerings as IHSA.
• Illinois Head Start Association: Illinois state Head Start association offering the same advocacy, training, and member services as IHSA, but operating in a different state with its own member grantees.
• Ohio Head Start Association: State-level Head Start membership association serving Ohio. Directly comparable to IHSA in scope, member programs, advocacy, and professional development activities, but covers a different state.

Emerging players

• First Steps (Indiana): Indiana's early intervention system for infants and toddlers with developmental delays. Overlaps with Early Head Start's child-find and IDEA-related work; Constance Young from First Steps already sits on IHSA's board.
• Child Care Answers (Indiana): Indiana child care resource and referral agency supporting families and providers statewide. Comparable to IHSA's locator and referral functions but broader than Head Start and not a membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuFMFNvEGGdkdjM9UC6LYNg
• Facebookfacebook.com/IndianaHeadStart
• Instagraminstagram.com/inheadstart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about IHSA