Quick Facts
Among Head Start preschool-age children, 85% received preventive dental care and 87% have completed a professional dental examination during the 2011-2012 program year.
At the end of the 2011-2012 program year: 95% of Head Start children had health insurance; 96% had a medical home; and 96% had appropriate immunizations;
In 2012, 12% of Head Start children had disabilities, and 99% of these children received special services.
Through Early Head Start, more than 16,000 pregnant women received services to support the health and development of their babies in 2012.
Head Start programs operate in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and six territories.
In 2012, 30% of Head Start participants spoke a language other than English at home, representing more than 140 languages.
Over 1.3 million adultsvolunteered in Head Start programs in 2011
More than 1.3 million adults volunteered in their local Head Start program in 2012. Of these, 867,000 were parents of Head Start children.
Since 1965, Head Start has provided comprehensive services to more than 30 million children, birth to age 5, and their families.