Who is eligible for Head Start services?
Children between the ages of three and five from families that meet the Federal poverty guidelines are eligible for Head Start services. In FY 1996, 1,440 grantees operated the program on the local level. Programs throughout the country establish priorities for enrolling children based on community needs and available funds The FY 1997 appropriation for Head Start is $3.577 billion, which is an increase of $374 million over FY 1996 levels. Anticipated enrollment for FY 1997 is approximately 800,000 children, an increase of 48,000 children over the FY 1996 levels. Ten percent of the enrollment opportunities in each program may be filled by children that exceed the low-income guidelines. There is also a requirement that ten percent of enrollments should be offered to children with disabilities. The 1994 Head Start Reauthorization Act established Early Head Start which serves low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers. Presently there are 142 Early Head Start grantee
