Head start and early head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Parents And Children Together $12.355 million on July 1, 2026, under the Head Start program (CFDA 93.600) to deliver comprehensive early childhood education and family support services across Hawaii through June 30, 2031.

The award funds Head Start and Early Head Start programming serving preschool-age children, infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. Services include educational, health, nutritional, social, and family well-being support designed to enhance cognitive, physical, behavioral, and social-emotional development and promote school readiness. Parents And Children Together, a Honolulu-based tax-exempt nonprofit, operates the program statewide with primary operational focus on Oahu and outer islands including Maui and Lanai.

This is a five-year project grant with a period of performance from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The full obligated amount of $12.355 million supports the recipient's service delivery across Hawaii.

Head Start awards operate on a five-year cycle during which recipients are measured against criteria determining eligibility for renewal. Non-competing continuations are issued based on satisfactory progress, compliance with terms and conditions, and a determination that continuation funding is in the federal government's best interest. If renewal criteria are not met, the service area and funding become available through competition.