Head start and early head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc. $16,375,257 on December 1, 2025, under the Head Start program (CFDA 93.600).

The award funds Head Start services in Alabama, which include early learning, health, nutritional, and family support services to low-income children and families. The recipient, a tax-exempt nonprofit headquartered in Tuscaloosa, delivers comprehensive early childhood education and related services to vulnerable populations across the state, with particular focus on early childhood development and poverty mitigation.

The award runs through November 30, 2030. Head Start is a five-year project grant program that promotes school readiness by enhancing cognitive, physical, behavioral, and social-emotional development of children through educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. Local Head Start programs serve 3- and 4-year-old children through preschool programs and infants and toddlers through Early Head Start programs. Awards are made for five-year periods, with recipients eligible for renewal based on satisfactory progress and compliance with terms and conditions. Non-competing continuations are issued based on availability of appropriation and a determination that continuation is in the best interest of the federal government.