A grant, not a license
Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded, comprehensive programs, education, health, nutrition and family services, for low-income children from birth to five and pregnant women, run by the Office of Head Start. The key thing to understand: this is not a license you apply for and buy. Grantees compete for five-year grants tied to specific geographic service areas. See Federal Programs for the funding context.
How organizations become grantees
Organizations enter by responding to a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on Grants.gov when a service area opens, which happens mostly through the Designation Renewal System, an incumbent must recompete if any of several conditions apply (such as deficiencies, low classroom-quality scores, or a license revocation), and areas also open when a grantee relinquishes or is terminated. Eligible applicants depend on the NOFO: some invite public, nonprofit and for-profit organizations; others are limited to public or private nonprofits. Read each NOFO's eligibility section.
The 20% match and the standards
Two commitments define the grant:
- Match: federal funds cover no more than 80% of approved program costs, so the grantee must provide a 20% non-federal match (equal to 25% of the federal award, so $250,000 on a $1,000,000 grant). In-kind donations and state funds can count, and waivers are possible.
- Standards above licensing: the Head Start Program Performance Standards require meeting state licensing and the stricter federal rules, including tighter group sizes (a Head Start preschool class caps at 17 to 20 with two adults; Early Head Start at 8 to 9), minimum annual hours, and at least 10% enrollment of children with disabilities.
Early Head Start–Child Care Partnerships
For an existing or new licensed provider, becoming a grantee from scratch is hard. The far more realistic on-ramp is an Early Head Start–Child Care Partnership: a licensed center or family child care home contracts with an existing EHS grantee, layers EHS funding on top of child-care subsidy, and agrees to meet the Performance Standards. It brings funding and comprehensive services without running your own federal grant.
Related resources
See Federal Programs, and compare the center and home paths. Faith-based programs: note that Head Start NOFOs explicitly invite faith-based organizations, and any program taking child-care subsidy must meet the federal safety and background-check rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Head Start a license? No. Head Start and Early Head Start are competitive federal grant programs for comprehensive services to low-income children birth to five, not a license you apply for and buy. Grantees compete for five-year grants tied to service areas.
- How does an organization become a Head Start grantee? By responding to a Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov when a service area opens. Eligibility varies by NOFO, some allow for-profits, others are nonprofit-only, and applicants must provide a 20% non-federal match.
- What is the easiest way for a child care provider to join Head Start? An Early Head Start–Child Care Partnership: a licensed center or family child care home contracts with an existing EHS grantee, layers EHS funding with subsidy, and meets the Performance Standards, without running its own federal grant.
- What is the Head Start non-federal match? Grantees must contribute 20% of total program costs from non-federal sources (equal to 25% of the federal award). In-kind donations and state funds can count toward it, and waivers are possible in some cases.
- Do Head Start rules exceed state licensing? Yes. The Head Start Program Performance Standards require meeting state licensing and the stricter federal rules, including tighter group sizes, minimum annual hours and at least 10% enrollment of children with disabilities. A 2026 proposal may change this.