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Yes. Head Start services are provided at no cost to enrolled families.
Families should not be charged tuition for federally funded Head Start or Early Head Start services.
But families sometimes see other costs around transportation, optional activities, or services outside the funded Head Start program, so it is useful to understand what "free" means.
A Head Start program should not charge enrolled families weekly or monthly tuition for Head Start services.
If someone tells you that you must pay tuition to receive a federally funded Head Start slot, ask the program to explain the charge.
Families should not have to pay a fee simply to be considered for Head Start enrollment.
Be cautious if an unfamiliar third party asks you to pay to "guarantee" a Head Start application or enrollment. Contact the official local program directly.
Head Start programs provide nutrition services as part of the comprehensive program model. Children in center-based programs commonly receive meals and snacks during program hours without a separate meal charge to the family.
Ask what meals are provided and how the program handles allergies or dietary needs.
Transportation is more complicated because not every Head Start program provides it.
If a program provides transportation as part of its service model, ask whether there is any cost and whether your address is within the route. Some programs do not offer bus transportation at all.
Head Start programs provide the materials needed for the program's educational services.
A classroom may suggest optional items or ask families to send personal belongings such as a change of clothes or weather-appropriate clothing. If a requested purchase creates hardship, tell the program.
Most Head Start programs do not operate like private schools requiring expensive uniforms. A local program may have clothing guidelines or request specific items for safety and comfort.
Head Start-funded educational activities should be part of the program's services. If you are asked for money, ask whether the payment is required, whether the activity is part of Head Start, and whether your child can participate if you cannot pay.
This is where families can encounter legitimate costs.
A site may offer separate child care hours before or after the federally funded Head Start schedule. Those extra hours might be funded through child care subsidy, state funds, another grant, or private payment.
Ask clearly:
A Head Start classroom may operate inside an organization that also provides state-funded preschool, subsidized child care, or private-pay child care. The building may serve all of those programs.
That does not mean the Head Start slot itself has tuition.
If a program requests money and you are unsure why, ask for a written explanation and whether the payment is required, optional, part of Head Start, or for a separate service.
Yes. Federally funded Early Head Start services are provided at no cost to enrolled families.
You should not be charged a Head Start application fee.
Nutrition services are part of Head Start. Meal schedules vary by program.
Not every program provides transportation.
Possibly, if those hours are a separate child care service rather than part of the funded Head Start program.