08/31/2026
We ❤️ Head Start
On August 31, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson stood in the White House Rose Garden and announced the extension of Head Start.
What started as a summer pilot — one that enrolled more than 561,000 children in its first year — was expanded into year-round centers for children aged 3 and older, with continued summer programming and follow-through services like home visits and field trips for families.
Sixty-one years later, that commitment is still being honored by the hundreds of thousands of Head Start staff who show up every day for children and families across the country.
Check out stories from people across the Head Start community whose lives have been touched by the program, from 1965 to the present: https://viewer.mapme.com/661a3205-6e05-41e7-a6a9-5c505969c3be
