Find resources to help early childhood programs serve pregnant women and expectant families.

Head Start agencies that provide services to children and families must meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards and the requirements set forth in the Head Start Act of 2007. The Office of Head Start (OHS) also offers direction through Program Instructions (PIs) and Information Memorandums (IMs). More guidance is available to grantees through their federal program specialist.

Explore this topic for strategies and promising practices to support children and their families within Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships and other local partnerships, such as pre-K. Training and technical assistance (T/TA) staff and EHS-CC Partnership grantees and their child care partners will find resources about partnerships, family child care, and regulations and standards. Also find tools and materials around administration, research, and evaluation.

Excellence in early childhood education (ECE) programs is built on a workforce that promotes continuous program improvement.

Effective, nurturing, and responsive teaching practices and interactions are key for all learning in early childhood settings. They foster trust and emotional security; are communication and language rich; and promote critical thinking and problem-solving.

A program’s physical environment supports the quality and quantity of the services it provides. Browse facilities resources that help programs create environments that are conducive to learning.

Young children vary in their skills, knowledge, backgrounds, and abilities. Effective teaching requires individualized teaching and chances to learn for all children to access, participate, and thrive in early learning settings. Individualizing for children who need more support helps ensure effective teaching for children with disabilities and other special needs across all the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework domains.

Thoughtful planning is critical to programming. Explore these resources for guidance through the five-year grant. Learn how to establish continuous cycles of improvement that involve key stakeholders in data-based decision-making.

Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental health of children, families, and staff every day. Early childhood mental health is the same as social and emotional well-being. It is a child’s developing capacity to express and regulate emotions, form trusting relationships, explore, and learn—all in the cultural context of family and community. The mental health of children and the adults that care for them is essential for school readiness..

Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease, but it's preventable. Children with dental pain can have trouble speaking clearly, eating, and learning. Use the resources below to promote a healthy mouth. Learn about proper toothbrushing and other preventive measures and how to find a dentist.