	Competitive Funding

	21st Century Learning Centers

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Head Start

ead Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and their families. They are child-focused programs that have as their overall goal increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families.

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The Head Start program is administered by the Head Start Bureau, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Grants are awarded directly to local public agencies, private organizations, Indian Tribes and school systems for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at the community level.

What Will It Fund?

Head Start grants fund comprehensive and high quality services designed to foster healthy development in low-income children, including individualized services promoting education and early childhood development; medical, dental, and mental health; nutrition; and parent involvement.

Who is Eligible?

Any local public or private non-profit or local for-profit agency or organization, within a specified community, is eligible to apply for funding to establish a Head Start program. Eligible applicants may include: a city, county, or multi-city or multi-county unit within a State, an Indian reservation, or other community organizations providing a suitable organizational base to operate a Head Start program within the target community.

Funding Level

Grants typically range from $500,000 to $2,000,000 per year. Federal requirements require that 20% of the funding come from non-federal sources. The non-Federal share may be in cash or in-kind, including facilities, equipment or volunteer services.

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Head Start

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