Early Childhood Expertise

At ABCD Head Start, we are recognized as experts in the area of early childhood education and development in Boston over the past 40 years, during which time our hands-on experience in the field has allowed us to develop many of the standards and practices accepted nationally. Head Start now serves as a model for early childhood initiatives throughout the world.

We were founded by leaders in the field of early childhood education and development in the 1960s. Since then, we have used our funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration of Children and Families, to continually enhance our programs and services. Because we are federally funded and must meet the federal government’s rigorous standards in order to be called a Head Start program, the services we offer have been continuously monitored and measured since our inception.

We have a proven track record of serving low-income families and identifying emerging issues for all children, such as childhood obesity, before they become a national concern. Our programs have evolved to keep pace with emerging needs, but our core goals and values have remained the same.

Setting the Bar for Early Childhood Development

In our more than four decades as leaders in the field of early childhood development, we have innovated and implemented many programming and curriculum tools. Among these is the Outcome Measurement gauge, which allows us to report where children were when they entered the program, and illustrate what they accomplished by the time they left the program. In 2001, ABCD Head Start initiated the Developmental Assessment System as a tool to systematically assess children for individualization and outcome measurement throughout the year.

A Source for Statistics and Expertise

As a national laboratory committed to innovating new approaches to early childhood development and education, Head Start supports research and evaluation of the Head Start program, its various demonstrations, and related individual research activities. We strive to maintain our status as leaders in the field by initiating and supporting new research activities; synthesizing, disseminating and incorporating important research findings into program operations; and actively engaging the academic community in all research endeavors.