Youth Services

Under the direction of the Youth Services Division, the Head Start program operates twenty-six classrooms and one home-based program which serve 462 children. Full-day, full-year services are provided to 86 pregnant women, infants, and toddlers through the Early Head Start program in four counties. These services are provided in a licensed facility operated by the Youth Services Division and through partnerships with licensed child care providers in the community. Our staff and child care partners ensure the delivery of quality early childhood education, development, and health services, while engaging in the ongoing process of collaborative family and community partnerships.

• What is Head Start?

• Obesity and Tobacco Use Prevention Program

• Program Locations

• Head Start Family Handbook

Program Locations

What is Head Start?

Project Head Start, launched initially 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.

Today, Head Start is administered by the Office of Head Start, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), and the Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS). Grants are awarded by the ACF Regional Offices and the Head Start Bureau's American Indian-Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Program Branches directly to local public agencies, private organizations, Indian Tribes and school systems for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at the community level.

The Head Start program continues to deliver comprehensive and high quality services designed to foster healthy development in low-income children. Head Start grantee and delegate agencies provide a range of individualized services in the areas of education and early childhood development; medical, dental, and mental health; nutrition; and parent involvement. In addition, the entire range of Head Start services is responsive and appropriate to each child and family's development, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage and experience.
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.

All Head Start programs must adhere to Program Performance Standards. The Head Start Program Performance Standards define the services that Head Start programs are to provide to the children and families they serve. They constitute the expectations and requirements that Head Start grantee must meet. They are designed to ensure that the Head Start goals and objectives are implemented successfully, that the Head Start philosophy continue to thrive, and that all grantee and delegate agencies maintain the highest possible quality in the provision of Head Start services.

Check out these sites for additional information.

National Head Start Association
Office of Head Start
Region VII Head Start Association

Obesity and Tobacco Use Prevention Program

Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City funds the Obesity and Tobacco Use Prevention Program. Healthy practices and education concerning obesity and tobacco use is being provided in a program that is administered by West Central Missouri Community Action Agency. This is a joint effort between Health Services Division, Family and Community Development Division and Youth Services Division.

Services such as education classes and basic health screenings are provided to participants. The service is offered to Head Start parents, Outreach clients and women that come into the Women’s Health Clinic. To date we have served over 500 people in this program.

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City strives to improve access and quality of health for the medically indigent and underserved individuals and communities by providing financial support and leadership directed toward all aspects of health in Kansas City, Missouri and a six county service area (Missouri: Cass, Jackson, Lafayette Counties; Kansas: Allen, Johnson, Wyandotte Counties).

The Foundation is committed to supporting high-quality activities that produce measurable improvement in access and quality of health.