Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, Inc. history

In 1969, under the Nixon administration, Head Start was transferred from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Office of Child Development in the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

It was incorporated as part of the original Head Start Performance Standards in 1973.

The Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS), the regulations governing Head Start programs, were originally published in 1975.

In 1977, under the Carter administration, Head Start began bilingual and bi-cultural programs in about 21 states.

The expansion to Early Head Start began in 1988.

The Head Start Expansion and Quality Improvement Act was passed in 1990, and the Head Start State collaboration project began.

Twenty-four (24) programs were funded initially and in 1993, 10 more programs were funded with a special emphasis on services to families with substance abuse problems.

The reauthorization of the Head Start Act in 1994 made it possible to establish Early Head Start as a program to serve infants and toddlers under the age of 3, and pregnant women.

Under the Clinton administration in 1995, Head Start’s appropriation was $3.53 billion and the first Early Head Start grants was given with services to some 752,000 children.

In 1998, the Head Start program was reauthorized to expand to full-day and full-year services.

The Head Start program, including the Early Head Start program, was most recently reauthorized in 2007 with bipartisan support.

In 2009, under the Obama administration, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act added more than 64,000 slots for Early Head Start and Head Start programs.

In 2011, the Designation Renewal System (DRS) established five-year grant periods for all Head Start service awards.