Head Start

“All of our children have so much potential. All of our children deserve a chance at life.”

– Joe Baca

Many parents wonder what Head Start is and how it can benefit their child’s early development. Head Start is a federally funded program designed to foster the healthy development of young children from low-income families. Established in the 1960s under the Economic Opportunity Act, Head Start emerged as a cornerstone initiative to break the cycle of poverty. Its comprehensive approach addresses not only the educational needs of preschool-aged children but also their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological well-being.

The program recognizes that a child’s development is intrinsically linked to their family environment. Therefore, Head Start actively promotes family engagement, offering resources and support to empower parents and caregivers. By involving families in their child’s early learning journey, the program strengthens the foundation for lifelong success and builds stronger communities.

Through its holistic model, Head Start has remained a trusted resource for early childhood education and family support for decades.

Services for Children and Families

Head Start programs help children get ready to succeed in school and in life through learning experiences tailored to their changing needs and abilities. Our programs do this in a few key ways:

Early Learning and Development

Build strong relationships as the foundational driver for early learning.
Engage families in their child's learning and recognizing parents as a child's first and most influential teacher.
Implement effective practices to promote children's growth in five key domains (approaches to learning, social and emotional development, language and literacy, cognition, and physical development).
Encourage learning through play, creative expression, and guided activities with schedules and lesson plans that include the cultural and language heritage of each child and family in relevant ways.
Create welcoming learning environments in indoor and outdoor settings that are well-organized and safe.
Conduct ongoing screenings and assessments to guarantee each child is making progress.
Collaborate with parents and community agencies when further assessment is needed.
Support children with disabilities and build on their strengths.

Health and Wellness

Engage all children in both indoor and outdoor physical activity .
Serve breakfast, lunch, and snacks that are healthy and nutritious .
Ensure children receive medical, dental, hearing, vision, and behavioral screening .
Make sure children brush their teeth after meals; promote oral health and hygiene .
Help families understand and support their child's health and behavioral health needs.
Assist with mental health services for children and families, as needed.
Build resilience to help children and families heal from traumatic experiences or events and overwhelming situations.

Family Well-being

Offer parenting support and strategies.
Support parental health and links to community services during pregnancy .
Connect families to community and federal assistance.
Help families identify and reach their goals and dreams, including those related to finances and economic mobility , housing, employment, and education.
Provide a career pathway in early care and education — about 22% of program staff are current or former Head Start parents.

Family Engagement

Invite parents to share information and insights about their child.
Celebrate the role of fathers and male caregivers through father engagement . • Engage parents as their child's lifelong advocate.
Engage parents as their child's lifelong advocate.
Welcome parents to offer ways to improve children and families' experiences in the program, including through leadership roles on the Policy Council .
Support child and family transitions to the next step in Head Start, kindergarten, or another early childhood program.

Early Education Access

Dayspring Program Inc. is a Head Start delegate agency providing services to 584 children ages three to five years in 18 classrooms at 8 sites.

Head Start originated in the 1960s as part of an effort to combat poverty in America by providing preschool children with a range of services. Head Start approaches the “whole” child and the family by providing education, health, social services, and parent-community involvement.

Education & Health Services

The Head Start model is a comprehensive one, providing wide-ranging educational and socio-emotional support to low-income children and families in Baltimore City. Head Start nurtures children in social competence through an early childhood and family development program in a strength-based model, which promotes healthy development in young children.

Family-Centered Model

Head Start empowers families. To assure competence and long-term developmental effects, parents, and community members are recruited and involved as partners. The core belief of Head Start is that parents are their children’s greatest resource. Parents are encouraged to become involved on every level of their children’s program. Head Start’s emphasis on parental involvement contributes to positive growth and the upward mobility of Head Start parents by helping to move them out of poverty.

Program Foundations

There are four major components to Head Start:

Education

Providing a variety of learning experiences to help children grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

Health

Providing health services such as immunizations, dental, medical, and mental health and nutritional services, and early identification of health problems.

Parent Involvement

Involving parents in the planning and implementation of activities. Parents serve on policy councils and committees that make administrative decisions, participate in classes and workshops on child development, and volunteer in the program.

Social Services

Providing outreach to families to determine what services they need.

*This website is supported by Grant Number 03CH011117-06-00 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. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operates, controls, is responsible for, or necessarily endorses this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of Dayspring Programs Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.