History, Goals and Values
Uniqueness of Head Start

Several unique aspects distinguish Head Start. The first is its flexibility. The original planners of Project Head Start realized that no one program design could meet the needs and build on the strengths of every child in every community. Head Start is an evolving concept upon which variations are made, tailored to the needs and strengths of the community the program serves. Flexibility, or local program design, is a requirement, not merely an option. In this way, children and families with diverse needs are assured of a place in their community's Head Start program. Underlying its flexibility, Head Start has a solid core of program policy, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, which unite the variety of local agency programs. Secondly, Head Start is a comprehensive program, grounded in environmental enrichment, and including the fields of health, social services, and education. The delivery of services is similarly comprehensive, directed not only at the child, but at the child as a part of a family and a community. Believing that children develop in the context of their families, cultures, and communities, Head Start services are family centered and community-based. Head Start offers family members opportunities and support for growth and change, believing that people can identify their own strengths, needs, and interests and are capable of finding solutions. Head Start's focus on the whole child extends to a recognition of the importance of the family, not the institution, as the source of a child's values and behavior. The third distinctive aspect of Head Start is the idea that parents should participate, both on administrative policy committees and in their children's education. Parent involvement in Head Start was truly revolutionary. It represented a new attitude on the part of the government towards the poor. Economically disadvantaged families were no longer seen as passive recipients of services, but rather as active, respected participants and decision makers.

"Intellectually, then, as well as politically and socially, Head Start was an idea whose time had come. And the report of the Head Start Planning Committee stands as one of The most significant historical documents Ever written concerning the needs of children. It pointed a direction for the nation, which Head Start has only begun to realize." Dr. Julius B. Richmond, Head Start Founder