HHS announced more than $225 million in grants to improve nutrition quality, update aging facilities, and expand services for approximately 800,000 low-income children enrolled in Head Start programs nationwide on Sept. 8. The funding is part of HHS’s broader commitment to child health and development and aligns with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Head Start serves children from birth through age five and their families, providing early childhood education, health screenings, nutrition services, and family support, according to HHS. The program targets children from families at or below the federal poverty level.
The grants will address three key areas: improving the nutritional quality of meals served to children, renovating or replacing aging Head Start facilities, and expanding program capacity in underserved communities, HHS said.
Nutrition improvements are a stated priority for Kennedy’s HHS. The grants will fund upgrades to food service operations at Head Start centers, including kitchen equipment, menu development, and procurement of higher-quality ingredients.
For the hundreds of thousands of America’s most vulnerable young children, the investments could improve daily nutrition, physical learning environments, and access to developmental services during the critical early childhood years.
Head Start is the nation’s largest federally funded early childhood program, operating more than 1,600 grantees and nearly 20,000 centers across the country, according to HHS. The program has operated since 1965 as part of the nation’s effort to break the cycle of poverty through early intervention.
Many Head Start facilities operate in older buildings that require significant maintenance and renovation. The facility improvement grants will address health and safety concerns, energy efficiency, and classroom quality.
The Administration for Children and Families, an HHS agency, administers Head Start grants. Funding is distributed through a competitive and formula-based process to local grantees including school districts, community organizations, and tribal governments.