In 1964, the Federal Government asked a panel of child development experts to draw up a program to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. The panel report became the blueprint for Project Head Start.
Project Head Start, launched as an eight-week summer program by the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1965, was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children of low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. Recruiting children age three to school entry age, Head Start was enthusiastically received by education, child development specialists, community leaders, and parents across the Nation. Head Start serves children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories, including many American Indians and migrant children.
In 1969, Head Start was transferred from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Office of Child Development in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and has now become a program within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services. A well-established, though still an innovative program, Head Start has had a strong impact on communities and early childhood program across the country.
The program is locally administered by community-based non-profit organizations and school systems. Grants are awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services Regional offices, except for the American Indian and Migrant programs, which are administered in Washington, D.C.
The excerpt above is from the Administration of Children and Families website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/index.htm
In Cambria County, Head Start is the largest component of the Community Action Partnership. Annually, the current funding provides for the education and support of 468 children. Through our six centers, children ages three through five can participate in either a classroom program or a home-based option. Parents are encouraged to participate in their child's education, in classroom activites or on policy council.
The centers are located in six locations around the county:| Lincoln Head Start 1107 Cushion Ave. Johnstown, PA 15902 (814) 535-5820 |
Coupon Head Start Center 206 Walnut St. Coupon, PA 16629 (814) 942-2060 |
| Salix Head Start Center 1075 Forest Hills Dr. Salix, PA 15952 (814) 487-5629 |
McKinley Head Start Center 1147 McKinley Ave. Johnstown, PA 15905 (814) 539-5006 |
| Colver Head Start Center 669 Sixth St. Colver, PA 15927 (814) 748-7442 |
Cambria City Head Start Center 5th and Chestnut St. Johnstown, PA 15906 (814) 536-5592 |