I – 015 What age must a child be in order to be considered eligible for Head Start?
A low-income child who will turn three by the date used by the local school system to determine kindergarten eligibility is considered to be a Head Start eligible child and may be enrolled as a 3 year old in the local Head Start program. That child would, in most cases, be served in Head Start for two full years, as a 3 year old and then as a 4 year old, before entering kindergarten. In addition, a Head Start program may enroll a child who was not three by the school cut off date but who has since turned three at any time after that child’s 3rd birthday, should the program have a vacancy into which that child can be placed and if such a placement seems appropriate. For example, the school system uses December 1 as the cut off date for determining kindergarten eligibility. Child A will turn 3 years of age on November 1. That child may be enrolled, at the beginning of the Head Start program’s “program year”. That child will be served in Head Start that year and eligible to be served the
Related Questions
- I – 065 Can a child who is eligible for kindergarten attend Head Start half-day while attending kindergarten the other half of the day?
- I – 052 If a foster child has been adopted prior to applying for Head Start is the child considered eligible?
- How do I contact my childs Unit Head (staff member in charge of specific age group)?
