Albina Head Start

What Albina Head Start does

Albina Head Start is a Portland, Oregon-based private nonprofit organization founded in 1993 that delivers federally funded early childhood education and family support services to low-income families, prenatal mothers, and teen parents. It operates two core programs — Early Head Start (children 6 weeks to 3 years and pregnant mothers) and Head Start (children ages 3 to 5) — delivered through center-based classrooms in North, Northeast, and Southeast Portland, home-based weekly visitation, and embedded classrooms at five Portland Public Schools high schools (Franklin, McDaniel, Grant, Roosevelt, Multiple Pathways) and at Portland Community College's Cascade and Southeast campuses. Services are provided free of charge to income-eligible families, with meals meeting CACFP/USDA standards, developmental and health screenings, mental health support, and parenting education.

The organization runs a differentiated Mandarin Language Program across nine preschool locations offering 30 minutes of daily instruction, alongside parenting classes (The Incredible Years, Balancing Lessons, Attentive Parenting, Albina Online Parenting Classes) and a workforce-development Center Training Assistant (CTA) program. Core technology is limited to a Wix-hosted website, a Parent Portal, and a YouTube-based Albina Virtual School content library; there is no proprietary software platform. Supporting partnerships include Morrison Family Center (mental health, parenting groups), Multnomah Early Childhood Program (developmental evaluations), Casey Eye Institute (vision screenings), University of Portland nursing students (wellness checks), and Sesame Street in Communities (educational content).

Revenue is sourced primarily from federal Head Start Grant Number 10CH011270 (Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), supplemented by an Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) partnership with Oregon Department of Human Services and philanthropic support including from the Phil Knight Foundation. Customer acquisition is community-led through school, healthcare, and social-service referral networks plus direct enrollment; services are free to qualifying families and marketing is conducted organically via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. The organization holds USDA and equal-opportunity provider compliance certifications and operates with 51–100 employees.

Name

Albina Head Start

Legal name

Albina Early Head Start & Albina Head Start

Website

https://albinahs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Albina Head Start is a Portland-based nonprofit providing free Head Start and Early Head Start early-childhood education, family support, and health services to income-eligible families, prenatal mothers, and teen parents in North, NE, and SE Portland under a federal HHS grant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), 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), Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Head Start programs
• Family support services
• Prenatal care services
• Childcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Head Start Grant: Funded primarily through Grant Number 10CH011270 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All services are provided FREE to qualifying families.
2. Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) Partnership: Partnership with Oregon Department of Human Services to help eligible low-income families pay for childcare while working. ERDC and Albina Head Start work with local childcare providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Albina Head Start provides free early childhood education and family support services through federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs serving children ages 6 weeks to 5, prenatal mothers, and teen parents in North, Northeast, and Southeast Portland. Services include center-based preschool, weekly home visits, prenatal home visits, a Mandarin dual-language program across nine locations, developmental and health screenings, CACFP/USDA-compliant meals, parenting classes, and workforce development via the Center Training Assistant program.

Product overview

Albina Head Start is an early childhood education organization offering two primary programs—Early Head Start (for children 6 weeks to 3 years) and Head Start (for children 3-5 years)—as free services to low-income families in North, NE, and SE Portland. These core programs are delivered through Center-Based services (full-day preschool at multiple locations including high school and college campuses) and Home-Based programs (weekly home visits and prenatal visits). The organization also operates specialized programs including a Mandarin Language Program (nine locations with daily instruction), an Employment Related Daycare partnership with Oregon DHS, a Center Training Assistant workforce development program, and various parenting classes (The Incredible Years, Balancing Lessons, Attentive Parenting, Albina Online Parenting Classes). A Parent Portal provides digital access to forms, educational videos through Albina Virtual School, and partner resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Head Start Free federally funded program providing childcare and family support for children ages 6 weeks to 3 years and pregnant mothers in North, NE, and SE Portland, delivered through center-based classrooms and home-based visits.
• Head Start Free preschool and family support program for children ages 3 to 5 from low-income families, promoting school readiness through whole-child development with meals, screenings, and family services.
• Center-Based Programs Full-day childcare and preschool delivered Monday-Friday, 7:00 am to 4:30 pm at multiple classroom locations in North, NE, and SE Portland, with breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack meeting CACFP/USDA nutrition standards.
• Home-Based Programs Weekly home visits by professionally trained Home Visitors focused on parent-child relationships, child development support, and developmental screenings, including twice-monthly prenatal home visits.
• Mandarin Language Program Specialized Mandarin preschool program operating at nine locations providing 30 minutes of daily dual-language instruction to enrolled children.
• Teen Parent High School Classrooms Head Start classrooms embedded at Franklin, McDaniel, Grant, Roosevelt, and Multiple Pathways PPS high schools, operating 7:00 am to 4:30 pm to enable teen parents to continue schooling.
• College Classrooms for Parents Early Head Start and Head Start classrooms at Portland Community College Cascade and Southeast Campuses for parents enrolled at PCC.
• Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) Program delivered in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services to help eligible low-income families pay for childcare while working.
• Center Training Assistant (CTA) Program Free virtual workforce development program preparing parents to serve as Head Start/Early Head Start substitutes or Teacher Assistants, providing practical experience to apply for Teacher's Assistant positions.
• The Incredible Years Weekly parenting groups offered free through partnership with the Morrison Family Center, designed to improve childrearing decisions and strengthen families for parents of babies (0-12 months), toddlers (1-3 years), and preschoolers (3-6 years).
• Albina Online Parenting Classes Free online classes for expanding parenting skills and co-parenting abilities, available to enrolled and prospective Albina Head Start families.
• Balancing Lessons Free 6-week class providing support and skills for managing emotions, self-care strategies, and strengthening support networks for parents of children ages 0-5.
• Attentive Parenting Free 6-week virtual class delivered on Zoom for parents of children ages 2-5, focused on developing positive relationships, increasing cooperation, managing big emotions, and learning problem-solving skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• Head Start nationally has helped transform the lives of more than 40 million children and families over 59 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Portland Trail BlazersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership through Rip City Season of Giving initiative. The Trail Blazers support Albina Head Start families and community through charitable giving programs, acknowledging Albina as an incredible community partner.
• Career Pathways at Portland Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer Pathways offers short-term, stackable certificates that lead to degrees and jobs. Albina Head Start parents can access these programs, finding opportunities for some summer and fall 2023.
• Morrison Family CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMental health support services for Albina Head Start families through partnership. Also provides The Incredible Years weekly parenting groups designed to improve childrearing decisions and strengthen families for babies (0-12 months), toddlers (1-3 years), and preschoolers (3-6 years).
• University of Portland Nursing StudentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides wellness checks and health screenings conducted by University of Portland nursing students as part of their clinical education.
• Casey Eye InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides vision screenings for children enrolled in Albina Head Start programs.
• Multnomah Early Childhood Program (MECP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorks closely with MECP to help families complete evaluations and offer onsite services for children with developmental concerns or special needs.
• Oregon Department of Human Services (ERDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment-Related Day Care Program helps eligible low-income families pay for childcare while working. ERDC and Albina Head Start work together to help families find and keep good childcare.
• Sesame Street in CommunitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides educational resources and videos shared with Albina Head Start families on topics including child development, managing emotions, and parenting tips.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Neighborhood House: Portland-based Head Start and Early Head Start grantee serving low-income families in the same metro area with similar center-based and home-based delivery models. Closest direct operating peer in the Portland Head Start ecosystem.
• Oregon Child Development Coalition: Oregon-based Head Start grantee serving low-income and migrant/seasonal farmworker families. Comparable federally funded early-childhood delivery with similar eligibility and free-service model.
• Mt. Hood Community College Head Start: Operates Head Start programs in the Portland metro under the same federal grant framework. Comparable grantee model with similar service-delivery structure and federal compliance requirements.
• Impact NW: Portland-area community action nonprofit delivering early-childhood, family, and anti-poverty programming. Comparable target population, funding mix (federal/state grants), and integrated service model.
• Morrison Child & Family Services: Portland-based nonprofit providing mental health, family support, and Incredible Years parenting programming—the same partner delivering Albina's parenting curriculum. Comparable target population and service mix.
• Self Enhancement, Inc. Portland-based nonprofit serving youth and families in North/Northeast Portland with holistic education and family support services. Operates in the same Albina community catchment with overlapping target families.

Others

• National Head Start Association: National membership and advocacy body representing Head Start programs; not a service-delivery peer but the industry association framing federal policy, funding, and program standards that directly govern Albina's operations.
• Sesame Street in Communities: Content provider for early-childhood social-emotional and parenting resources distributed through Head Start grantees including Albina. An ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Children's Institute: Portland-based early-childhood advocacy, research, and program organization focused on equitable outcomes for young children. Operates in the same policy/funding ecosystem but as a policy/convener rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• Start Early (formerly Ounce of Prevention Fund): National early-childhood organization advancing high-quality prenatal-to-age-3 programming. Operates Educare schools and influences federal Head Start policy; comparable mission but at national scale rather than single-metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/albinaheadstart
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AlbinaHeadStart
• Facebookfacebook.com/albinaheadstart
• Instagraminstagram.com/albinaheadstart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/albina-head-start-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Albina Head Start