Head start and early head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Acelero Inc. (doing business as Acelero Learning) $20,157,822 on June 1, 2026, under the Head Start program (CFDA 93.600) to deliver comprehensive early childhood education, health and nutritional support, social-emotional development programming, and family engagement initiatives serving infants, toddlers, pregnant women, and preschool-aged children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The five-year award runs through May 31, 2031, and covers service delivery in New York. Acelero Learning operates as a prime grantee functioning through six regional subsidiaries: Acelero Learning Wisconsin, Acelero Learning Clark County, Acelero Learning Camden/Philadelphia, Acelero Learning Monmouth/Middlesex County, Acelero Learning Delaware, and Shine Early Learning. The award is structured as a Project Grant, an assistance type.

Acelero Learning Clark County, a sub-grantee, receives $16,534,753 obligated for operating costs and technical assistance (TTA). The Head Start program funds local preschool programs serving 3- and 4-year-old children and Early Head Start programs for younger children and pregnant women, operating across all fifty states, tribal nations, and U.S. territories through approximately 1,600 agencies nationwide. Awards are made for five-year periods; recipients demonstrating satisfactory progress and compliance are eligible for renewal without recompetition, while those not meeting criteria face their service area and funding released to competition.