Head start and early head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded La Casa De Don Pedro Inc. $8,116,836 on July 1, 2026, under the Head Start program (CFDA 93.600) to deliver comprehensive early childhood education, family engagement, and social-emotional development programming for low-income children and families across multiple locations in New Jersey through June 30, 2031.

La Casa De Don Pedro, a Newark-based nonprofit community development corporation, will provide educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services to enrollees, with services tailored to local family needs in its service area. Head Start services encompass both preschool programs serving 3- and 4-year-old children and Early Head Start programs for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. The award runs for five years, with recipient continuation eligibility based on satisfactory progress, compliance with award terms and conditions, and determination that continuation funding remains in the federal government's best interest. Place of performance is New Jersey.

This is the recipient's largest active award by funding amount. La Casa De Don Pedro's federal footprint spans seven agencies across 50 total awards obligating $151.2 million combined, with the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service and the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families together representing 62 percent of all awards. The organization serves as both prime recipient on targeted grant programs and sub-recipient on pass-through grants supporting early childhood education, family support services, workforce development, citizenship training, and energy efficiency initiatives.