Office of Head Start

What Office of Head Start does

The Office of Head Start (OHS) is a component of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), established in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty under the Economic Opportunity Act. OHS administers the Head Start program, a federally funded early childhood education initiative providing free comprehensive services to children ages birth to 5 from low-income families, as well as pregnant women and expectant families, children with disabilities, and dual language learners. Services span five core areas: early learning, health (including mental health, nutrition, and oral health), family well-being, parent partnerships, and transition support, all delivered under the federal Head Start Program Performance Standards at 45 CFR Chapter XIII.

The program distributes congressional appropriations as grants to approximately 1,600 local recipient agencies — including public agencies, private non-profits, and for-profit entities — which deliver services through center-based, home-based, and family child care program models, plus Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. OHS supports these grantees through a Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) System comprising four National Centers and a Regional TTA Network, along with the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) and the MyPeers professional community. Service delivery is coordinated with state-level Head Start Collaboration Offices in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and territories, including American Indian Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start variants.

OHS generates no earned revenue; it is funded entirely through annual federal appropriations administered by HHS/ACF. Sub-brands include Head Start Preschool, Early Head Start, AIAN Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, and the MyPeers virtual network. The current Director is Lizbeth Casco White (as of 2026). Recent strategic activity includes a $61.9 million MAHA nutrition funding expansion (September 2025) and the 2026 launch of the Early Education Pathways (EEP) online learning platform. The program's underlying technology footprint is limited to informational websites (HeadStart.gov, ECLKC) and the internal Head Start Enterprise System; no public APIs or AI capabilities are documented.

Name

Office of Head Start

Legal name

Office of Head Start

Website

https://headstart.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Office of Head Start is a U.S. federal agency within HHS/ACF that administers the Head Start program, distributing congressional appropriations as grants to approximately 1,600 local agencies that deliver free early childhood education, health, and family services to children ages birth to 5 from low-income families nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

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 Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH), Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN), Pre-Service ECE Credential Programs (Certificates/Diplomas/Degrees) (EDACAIAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Federal grant programs
• Head Start preschool
• Early childhood workforce
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations: Head Start is funded through annual federal appropriations administered by the Office of Head Start under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funding is distributed as grants to local agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Office of Head Start (OHS), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, administers the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. OHS distributes federal grant funding and provides oversight to approximately 1,600 local agencies that deliver free early childhood education, health, nutrition, mental health, family engagement, and transition support services to children from birth to age 5 from low-income families across all 50 states, tribal nations, and U.S. territories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Early Head Start: Program serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant women from low-income families.
• Head Start Preschool
• American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start
• Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program
• Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships
• MyPeers

Products and services

• Head Start Preschool Center-based early childhood education program serving 3- and 4-year-old children from low-income families, delivered through classroom settings. Provides services in early learning, health, nutrition, mental health, family engagement, and transition support.
• Early Head Start Early childhood services for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women from low-income families. Delivered through home visits, center-based programs, or family child care settings, providing prenatal support, postpartum services, and family partnership services.
• American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Head Start services specifically designed for American Indian and Alaska Native communities, supporting cultural responsiveness, dual language support, and home language preservation for children from birth to age 5.
• Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Head Start services for children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, providing early childhood education and family support services tailored to the unique needs of mobile agricultural worker families.
• Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships Partnerships between Early Head Start programs and child care providers designed to expand access to early childhood services for infants and toddlers from low-income families through integrated delivery models.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Administration for Children and Families (ACF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Office of Head Start is a component of ACF within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ACF administers the Head Start program and provides oversight and administrative support.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHS is the parent department of ACF and OHS. Head Start word marks and logos are registered trademarks owned by HHS.
• Head Start Collaboration OfficescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffices in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, American Indian Alaska Native Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start facilitate partnerships between Head Start agencies and state, territorial, or Tribal entities that provide services to benefit children from families with low incomes.
• State Early Childhood Advisory CouncilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with state advisory councils on early care and education to coordinate and regulate various services for children from birth to age 5 and their families.
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHead Start programs coordinate with CACFP to provide healthy food for children.
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHead Start programs work with WIC to support nutrition services for pregnant women, infants, and young children.
• Child Care Technical Assistance NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystem from the Office of Child Care provides resources along with state profiles for early education, Quality Rating and Improvement System, and licensing.
• National Centers (OHS TTA System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Centers include: National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning; National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety; National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement; National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations. They promote excellence through high-quality resources and approaches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Zero to Three: Zero to Three is a national nonprofit focused on the early childhood period from birth to age three, advancing policy, research, and practice. It overlaps with Early Head Start's infant-toddler focus and represents a comparable policy and advocacy organization in the ECE space.
• Sesame Workshop: Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, which produces early childhood education content and programs for low-income families. It shares Head Start's interest in early learning, school readiness, and reaching vulnerable children through evidence-based content.
• Save the Children US: Save the Children operates early childhood education programs in the U.S. and globally, including early learning programs for low-income families. Its U.S. programs share Head Start's target population and comprehensive services model, making it a comparable direct-service ECE provider.

Others

• CDC's Division of Reproductive Health: The CDC's Division of Reproductive Health supports maternal and infant health programs, including home visiting programs that overlap with Early Head Start's prenatal and infant services. It represents a comparable federal investment in early childhood outcomes through a different agency.
• Child Trends: Child Trends is a leading nonprofit research organization focused on improving outcomes for children and youth. It conducts research and evaluation on ECE programs including Head Start, providing complementary research and policy analysis that informs OHS program design.

Broad incumbents

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): NAEYC is the largest professional membership organization for early childhood educators, providing accreditation, professional development, and advocacy. It serves a comparable role to the OHS TTA system in setting standards and supporting the ECE workforce nationwide.
• Office of Child Care (ACF): The Office of Child Care is a sibling agency within the Administration for Children and Families that administers the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). Both OHS and OCC fund and oversee early childhood services for low-income families and share overlapping regulatory and policy frameworks, serving comparable populations.

Regional players

• WIC Program (USDA): The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal program providing nutrition services to low-income pregnant women, infants, and children. Head Start programs coordinate with WIC on nutrition services, making it a complementary federal program serving an overlapping population.

Direct peers

• National Head Start Association: The National Head Start Association is a membership organization representing Head Start agencies and the families they serve. It directly advocates for and supports the Head Start network, making it the closest organizational peer to the Office of Head Start in mission, members, and policy agenda.
• Child Care Aware of America: Child Care Aware of America is a national nonprofit that works to improve access to affordable, high-quality child care, paralleling Head Start's mission. It provides training, resources, and advocacy for the child care sector, serving a similar population of low-income families and ECE providers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeadStartgov
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeadStartgov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/administration-for-children-and-families
• Instagraminstagram.com/headstartgov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Office of Head Start