Head Start and Early Head Start are federal programs that give children under 5 from low-income families high-quality early education, plus health and family support. For families who qualify, Head Start can’t charge a fee. To apply, call the Head Start agency for your town. You can find it with the Head Start Center Locator.

Updated October 17, 2026

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Disclosure: Treehouse Learning Center, which runs childcare and therapy programs in Massachusetts, publishes KidBrief. When we point you to child care, we send you to the state’s official list of every licensed program, and we always label ours. How we make money.

The short version

  • Head Start is for children from age 3 until kindergarten. Early Head Start is for babies, toddlers and pregnant women.
  • Your family may be eligible if its income is at or below the federal poverty guideline ($33,000 a year for a family of four in 2026); if the family receives or is eligible for TANF, SSI, or SNAP; or if the child is experiencing homelessness or is in foster care. Eligibility does not guarantee a seat.
  • It’s free for eligible families, including field trips.
  • Programs can be at a center, at a family child care home, or at your home through home visits. Hours range from part-day to full-day.
  • Spots are limited, and Early Head Start isn’t offered in every town. Apply early.

Who qualifies

Under the federal Head Start rules, a child or pregnant woman can enroll if any one of these is true:

  • Your family’s income is at or below the federal poverty line.
  • Your family receives or is eligible for public assistance recognized by Head Start, including TANF, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The local program will tell you what agency documentation it needs.
  • Your child is experiencing homelessness.
  • Your child is in foster care.

Children in foster care and children experiencing homelessness qualify no matter what the family earns.

These rules determine who is eligible to apply. They do not guarantee enrollment. Each local program has limited funded seats and uses written selection criteria based on the needs of its community.

People in your householdPoverty line (2026)130% of poverty line
1$15,960$20,748
2$21,640$28,132
3$27,320$35,516
4$33,000$42,900
5$38,680$50,284
6$44,360$57,668
7$50,040$65,052
8$55,720$72,436
Source: 2026 HHS poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. For households larger than eight, add $5,680 for each additional person. The 130% column is KidBrief’s calculation.

Earn a little more? Still ask. A program may enroll up to 10% of participants who do not meet the main eligibility criteria but would benefit from services. Subject to additional federal conditions, a program may also enroll up to an additional 35% of participants whose family income is above 100% but below 130% of the poverty guideline. Programs must ensure that families eligible under the main criteria are served first.

Age: For Early Head Start, a child generally must be younger than three; pregnant women may also be eligible for Early Head Start services. For Head Start Preschool, a child must be at least three—or turn three by the local public-school eligibility date—and not be older than the age required to attend school. When a child moves from Early Head Start to Head Start Preschool, the program must verify the family’s eligibility again.

What your child and family get

  • Early learning that gets children ready for kindergarten.
  • Help with health, nutrition, and social and emotional development.
  • Support for the whole family, like connecting you to local resources.
  • Services for children with disabilities, children learning two languages and families in a housing crisis.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Find your local program. Type your town into the Head Start Center Locator. It lists each center and the agency that takes applications.
  2. Call the agency. Ask if they have openings for your child’s age, which hours they offer, and how to apply.
  3. Get your papers ready. Programs check eligibility, usually with proof of income (like pay stubs or a tax return), your child’s birth date, and proof of any public assistance. If you’re homeless, a letter from a shelter, school or other service agency can count. If the program is determining eligibility from income, it may adjust gross income for documented annual housing costs above 30% of gross income. This is an option the program may use, not an automatic family deduction. Ask the local program whether it uses the adjustment and what records it accepts.
  4. Complete the interview. Program staff must interview each family in person. They may conduct the interview by phone when meeting in person is not possible or convenient for the family.
  5. Get on the waitlist if it’s full. Programs choose children based on need, so call back and tell them if anything changes, like a job loss or a move.

Who decides: Federal HHS rules govern eligibility. The local Head Start grant recipient accepts applications, verifies eligibility, applies its selection criteria, and makes enrollment decisions. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care houses the state collaboration office; there is no single statewide Head Start application.

Head Start near Lynn and the North Shore

From the federal Head Start Center Locator, checked October 17, 2026. Call to confirm openings and hours.

Somewhere else in Massachusetts? Use the locator, or ask the Massachusetts Head Start Association.

If Head Start is full or you don’t qualify

Quick answers

Is Head Start really free? Yes, for eligible families. Programs can only charge for extra hours beyond the Head Start day, and they can’t make you pay for extra hours to keep your spot.

Do I need to be a U.S. citizen? The federal eligibility rules above don’t list citizenship as a requirement. Ask your local program what documents they accept.

Is it the same as public Pre-K? No. Head Start is federal and based on need. Many Massachusetts cities also run their own Pre-K, so ask your school district too.

Sources

From the team behind KidBrief

KidBrief is published by Treehouse Learning Center, an early education program in Lynn, Massachusetts. Treehouse is not a Head Start program. If Head Start is full or you don’t qualify, schedule a free tour →