Heartland Early Education

What Heartland Early Education does

Heartland Early Education is a publicly funded early childhood education program operating as an alternate program within USD 305 (Salina Public Schools) in Salina, Kansas. Founded in 1989 as Salina Head Start and rebranded in 2016, the organization delivers Head Start and Early Head Start services across Saline, Dickinson, and Ellsworth Counties under the direction of Lesa Larson and Executive Director Shanna Rector. The program is staffed by approximately 21 teachers and operates without a tuition-based revenue model, instead providing classroom instruction free of charge to qualifying low-income families.

Instruction is delivered using the Conscious Discipline social-emotional curriculum, with child progress measured through the Galileo assessment platform. During the 2024-2025 program year, the program served approximately 384 children (251 Head Start and 133 Early Head Start) and achieved 100% funded enrollment. Heartland Early Education receives essentially all of its operating funding from federal Head Start and Early Head Start grants administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supplemented by Kansas state-funded preschool grants. Program capacity is set by the federal funded-enrollment scope and was reduced from 256 to 230 children via a change-of-scope application submitted in May 2025 and approved in March 2026. The organization also holds a 2025 Blue Ribbon Affiliate designation from the Parents as Teachers national program.

Name

Heartland Early Education

Legal name

Heartland Early Education

Website

https://305heartland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Heartland Early Education provides free federal Head Start and Early Head Start early childhood education to qualifying low-income families across Saline, Dickinson, and Ellsworth Counties in Kansas, funded by federal and state grants under USD 305.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO), Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Head Start programs
• Preschool services
• Home visitation programs
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Salina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Head Start and Early Head Start Grants: Primary funding from federal Head Start and Early Head Start grants administered through the Office of Head Start, providing center-based programming and home visitation services for children ages 0-5 in Saline, Dickinson, and Ellsworth Counties (230 Head Start and 91 Early Head Start slots)
2. Kansas State-Funded Programs: Kansas Early Head Start Child Care Partnership grants and Kansas Early Head Start Home Visitation grants providing level-funded services for children birth to three; Kansas Preschool Pilot funds for enhancement
3. At-Risk Preschool Funding: State-funded at-risk preschool grants for qualifying four-year-olds

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heartland Early Education provides free, federally and state-funded early childhood education programs—Head Start, Early Head Start, and Parents as Teachers—to income-eligible families with children ages 0-5 and pregnant women in Saline, Dickinson, and Ellsworth counties in Kansas. Services are delivered through center-based classrooms co-located with Salina Public Schools elementary sites, home visitation by Family Consultants, and partner child care arrangements. The program combines early learning with family support services including health screenings, nutrition, mental health, social-emotional development (via Conscious Discipline), and developmental tracking (via Galileo Child Assessment).

Product overview

Heartland Early Education operates as a unified early childhood education organization offering Head Start and Early Head Start federal programs alongside Parents as Teachers home visitation services. The organization provides multiple program modalities including part-day (PDSY) and school-day (SDSY) preschool options, full-day child care, and home-based services. These programs serve children from birth to age five and pregnant women across Saline, Dickinson, and Ellsworth counties in Kansas, with facilities at multiple elementary schools and dedicated Heartland locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Head Start Preschool
• Early Head Start
• Parents as Teachers (PAT)
• Early Head Start Home-Based
• Early Head Start Child Care (Child Care Partnership)
• K-PREP Therapeutic Preschool
• School Day School Year (SDSY) Preschool

Quantifiable outcome

• School-day classrooms show higher percentage improvement than part-day classrooms in child assessments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Durham Bus ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Contracts with Durham Bus Service to provide transportation for students. Heartland program does not own buses, instead contracting for transportation services. The program sold two buses to offset Durham's transportation expenses.
• Abilene Child CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide child care slots for children up to five years. Heartland helps income-eligible families reduce the cost of child care while parents are working or attending school through the Kansas Early Head Start Child Care Partnership.
• Salina Regional Health CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdopted 23-25 families through their Santa's Helpers holiday program to provide holiday support for Heartland families.
• Salina Adult Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides ESL and GED classes to parents of Head Start students. Heartland families can attend adult education classes while children receive services. Also facilitates language conversation practice sessions for non-English speaking parents.
• Kansas Wesleyan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketing class students created videos and flyers for Heartland's Match Madness fundraising campaign for the Weekend Food Support Program.
• Central Kansas Cooperative in Education (CKCIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for K-PREP therapeutic preschool program serving four-year-olds excluded from regular preschool due to emotional or behavioral problems. Also collaborates to serve children with special needs and at-risk four-year-olds in inclusive classrooms.
• Central Kansas Mental Health Center (CKMHC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in K-PREP therapeutic preschool program. Mental health consultants provide support to classrooms, children, and families, with services available across all three counties (Saline, Dickinson, Ellsworth).
• Salina Art CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisplays artwork and statements from individuals about how Salina Adult Education Center brings support to the community. Hosted at the center through February 8.
• Capitol FederalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdopted ten Heartland families and provided meals for Thanksgiving to program families in need.
• Eagle's CommunicationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdopted two Heartland families during the holiday season for gift and support services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves22 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• National Head Start Association: National membership and advocacy organization for Head Start and Early Head Start grantees, including Heartland. While not a direct service provider, NHSA shapes the funding and policy environment in which Heartland operates and is the closest industry-body peer.
• Child Care Aware of America: National nonprofit that supports child care access and resources for low-income families. Operates in the same federal policy ecosystem as Head Start and overlaps with Heartland's family support and child care partnership mission.
• Save the Children US - Early Childhood: National NGO operating federally-funded early childhood programs, including Head Start grantee operations and home-visiting services in rural and underserved communities comparable to Heartland's Kansas service area.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Professional membership association that sets early childhood education standards and accredits programs. Heartland aligns its curriculum and assessment practices to NAEYC-aligned frameworks, making this a direct standards-setting peer.
• Easter Seals: National nonprofit providing early childhood services, including Head Start/Early Head Start programs and developmental services for children with disabilities — comparable to Heartland's K-PREP-style inclusive special education offerings.

Direct peers

• Parents as Teachers National Center: National center that certifies and supports Parents as Teachers affiliates, including Heartland's Blue Ribbon-affiliated home visitation program. PAT is one of Heartland's core service lines, making this a direct peer in the parent education and home-visit space.
• Child Development Inc. Federally-funded Head Start and Early Head Start grantee with comparable structure for operating multiple Head Start classrooms and home-based services across a regional service area, similar in scope to Heartland's tri-county Kansas operation.
• Bright Beginnings: Head Start and Early Head Start grantee serving low-income families with center-based and home-based services, operating within a comparable funding model and targeting income-eligible children ages 0-5 like Heartland.
• Kansas Head Start Association: State-level association representing Kansas Head Start and Early Head Start grantees — Heartland's direct peer network within the same state funding and regulatory framework, sharing the same federal grant administrator (Office of Head Start) and Kansas state preschool pilot programs.

Regional players

• Childcare Services Association: North Carolina-based nonprofit administering Head Start and Early Head Start programs plus child care subsidy services, with comparable $30M+ operational scale and multi-county service delivery similar to Heartland's Kansas footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Heartland Early Education