About Head Start

Quick facts about Head Start

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  • Head Start was created in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson as part of his “War on Poverty”
  • The Head Start program is a federally-funded preschool experience for 3 and 4 year olds
  • There is no fee to participate in Head Start.

About Clackamas County Children’s Commission

  • Clackamas County Children’s Commission is a Head Start grantee, receiving both federal and state grant money to run our program
  • We have our own 501(c)(3) non-profit status
  • We serve 572 children at a time in 6 Head Start centers located throughout Clackamas County
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Who We Serve

  • We serve children from low-income families and children with special needs who may not otherwise qualify
  • Approximately 25% of our students have special needs
  • 82% of our families have at least one working parent

Our Preschool

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Our preschool classes focus on the skills that children will need to succeed in Kindergarten, including social emotional, cognitive, physical and language development

We Do a Lot More Than Preschool!

  • Each Head Start center has a cook who serves family-style, USDA meals for breakfast and lunch.
  • All children receive vision, dental, hearing, and developmental screenings
  • We refer children to community partners to follow-up on development concerns
  • We transport about 77% of our students on school buses
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We Help Families Too

  • Families receive monthly home visits from their classroom teachers, who help parents set educational goals
  • Families receive home visits from Advocates, who help families obtain resources to meet their needs
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  • We run a Male Involvement program, which helps facilitate relationships between children and the involved men in their lives
  • We have some funds available to help parents take English Second Language classes, Adult Basic Education classes, and Drivers Education classes
  • Parents are encouraged to participate in family nights and Policy Council.

Save Head Start

Contribute to Saving Head Start

Want to help save Head Start so that others can benefit it from it the way you did? It doesn't cost anything to join SaveHeadStart.org, but we would appreciate any help that you can offer in defraying the cost of this state-of-the-art Web-based campaign. You also can help support the important work of the National Head Start Association, which is the sponsor of SaveHeadStart.org.

Want to get involved?

Just a few ways to get involved in Head Start:

  • Donate - Money, clothes, classroom supplies, toys, paper, computers, office supplies, etc.
  • Volunteer - In the classroom, the office, the kitchen, special projects, and more.
  • Join Policy Council - a group of parents and community members that are elected at center level to participate in decision and policy making of the Head Start program. This group of elected members consists of at least 51 % parents of the children currently enrolled in Head Start and the council consists of interested community members.

Links to other agencies

Community and other Head Start links: