Head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Community Development Institute Head Start $12,712,426 on February 1, 2026, under the Head Start program (CFDA 93.600), a five-year project grant running through January 31, 2031.

Community Development Institute Head Start, a Denver-based nonprofit, delivers Head Start and Early Head Start services including educational instruction, health and nutritional support, social-emotional development programming, and family engagement initiatives for low-income infants, toddlers, three- and four-year-old children, and pregnant women. Performance occurs in Denver, Colorado, with the organization's broader service footprint spanning Colorado, Georgia, New York, Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

The award obligates $12,712,426. Head Start requires recipients to provide a 20 percent non-federal match and meet federal performance standards related to school readiness outcomes, health and family well-being metrics, and federal compliance requirements. Non-competing continuations are issued based on satisfactory progress, compliance with terms and conditions, and a determination that continuation is in the federal government's best interest. The program encompasses local Head Start Preschool programs serving three- and four-year-olds and Early Head Start programs serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, with services delivered nationwide through approximately 1,600 agencies.