Indiana Head Start Association

DID YOU KNOW?

Head Start supports the whole family, not just the child.

Under Head Start Performance Standard 1302.50, programs are required to build strong partnerships with families, recognize parents as their children’s first teachers, and work together to support family well-being.

That can mean helping families identify their strengths and goals, connecting them with resources, supporting parent-child relationships, and creating a welcoming environment where families feel heard and respected.

Because when families are supported, children have a stronger foundation to learn, grow, and thrive.

Head Start is here for the whole family.

Our Executive Director, Rhett, is on Capitol Hill with several Indiana Head Start leaders and staff advocating for our state Head Starts and Early Head Start.

Head Start careers go far beyond the classroom.

Across Indiana, Head Start and Early Head Start programs rely on dedicated professionals in education, health, nutrition, family services, transportation, administration, and more.

Every role is part of something bigger: helping children grow, supporting families, and strengthening communities.

A career with Head Start isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to make a difference every day.

DID YOU KNOW?

Early Head Start supports families before baby even arrives.

Head Start Standard 1302.80 helps ensure pregnant women enrolled in Early Head Start receive coordinated services focused on maternal health, early childhood development, and preparing for baby’s arrival.

Because supporting a child’s future starts before their first day of life.

DID YOU KNOW?

Head Start supports the whole child, including their social and emotional well-being.

Under Head Start Performance Standard 1302.45(a), programs provide nurturing environments and individualized support to help children build healthy social-emotional skills, support mental health, and address developmental concerns.

Because when children feel supported, understood, and cared for, they have a stronger foundation for learning and growing. Head Start is here to help every child thrive.

🆘 URGENT: Proposed federal rules threaten to dismantle Early Head Start in Indiana. Here is how quality care for Hoosier infants & toddlers is on the line:

🚨Slashing Staffing: Eliminating federal ratio limits will cut the teaching workforce by ~25% and push up to 32% more babies per teacher. Fewer staff means less individual care when infants need it most.

🚨Gutting Safety & Infrastructure: Capping admin costs at 5% (down from 15%) doesn't cut red tape! It eliminates HR, background checks, and safety oversight that keep local Hoosier programs running.

🚨Stripping Family Supports: The rule removes protections for homeless families, rolls back mental health consults, and cuts health screenings. Speak up before the Oct 6 deadline!

💻📣Use this link to submit your comment: https://bit.ly/4dydLS8

Breathe has a new webpage with tons of helpful resources about to***co for Parents/Caregivers! Check it out at justbreathein.org/for-parents/ and then share it with others.

We have just 12 days left submit our comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on "Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs"! Let's make sure we get our comments in so that Indiana Head Start and Early Head Start Preschool Programs are heard!

Submit your comments here ---> https://www.regulations.gov/document/ACF-2026-0595-0001

Head Start Meets Families Where They Are.

Head Start and Early Head Start are designed to support children and families in more ways than one. Programs provide early learning and school readiness, but that’s only part of the picture.
Families can also connect with services that support health and dental care, nutrition, mental health, developmental screenings, disabilities services, and family well-being. For infants, toddlers, and expectant families, Early Head Start provides support from pregnancy through a child’s third birthday.

Head Start programs also work alongside parents, recognizing that families are an essential part of a child’s learning and development. Every family’s needs are different. That’s why Head Start takes a comprehensive approach...supporting children, partnering with parents, and connecting families with resources that can help them thrive.

Head Start isn’t just about getting children ready for school. It’s about supporting families along the way.