Head start and early head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Chicago Commons Association $26.419 million on September 1, 2026, under the Head Start program (CFDA 93.600) to deliver comprehensive early childhood education and social services in Illinois through September 1, 2031.

Head Start enhances the cognitive, physical, behavioral, and social-emotional development of young children through educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. Chicago Commons Association, a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Chicago, will deliver these services to low-income families in its service area, operating both Head Start Preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children and Early Head Start programs for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. The organization has consistently received Head Start funding and operates multiple program initiatives supporting early childhood education, nutrition, and family well-being.

The award is structured as a five-year project grant. Awards under Head Start are made for five-year periods, after which recipients demonstrating satisfactory progress and compliance may be eligible for renewal through non-competing continuation, subject to availability of appropriations and a determination that continuation serves the government's interest. The funding supports the local Head Start program's core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners in their children's development.