Program of Excellence - White Logo

NHSA's Program of Excellence Accreditation recognizes and supports the outstanding performance of Head Start grant recipients across the country. This designation is earned by 25 programs each year that consistently demonstrate excellence in program management and service performance and continually support the achievement of robust outcomes for children birth to five years old, pregnant people, families, and the communities where they live.

NHSA's Indicators of Excellence

NHSA defines the mark of quality with a 44-part framework known as the 44 Indicators of Excellence, which:

  • reflect established performance criteria;
  • extract evidence of the ways your program goes beyond the Head Start Program Performance Standards; and
  • describe the best and most effective practices for motivating and helping programs make lasting improvements in their services to children and families.

Head Start program applicants who successfully complete the application will earn the Program of Excellence Accreditation.

Register for the 2025 Cohort


Programs will have three months to complete the accreditation application process including attending online meetings which begins in March 2025.

A $3,500 application fee is due upon registration.

Download the Indicators of Excellence

By filling out this form, you will receive a sample set of indicators. This form is not the application or registration for the Program of Excellence Accreditation.

Program of Excellence Spotlights

Program of Excellence: Children First

Children First is a long-standing Head Start Program of Excellence, holding the title for more than two decades.

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Program of Excellence: CAPSLO

Migrant and Seasonal program CAPSLO’s commitment to quality is reflected in their designation as a Program of Excellence awarded in 2016.

Read More

Program of Excellence: Hillsborough County Head Start/Early Head Start

Hillsborough County Head Start/Early Head Start has been an NHSA Program of Excellence for more than two decades.

Read More

What the Accreditation Means

The three-month application process gives programs an opportunity to showcase all the facets of their operation:

leadership
effective and efficient management
transparent and sound fiscal stewardship
informed, responsible, and responsive program governance
highly experienced and educated staff
genuine partnering with and involvement of parents in all aspects of the program
state-of-the-art programming
quality services that reflect and respond to the aspirations and needs of children and families

Programs of Excellence continuously strive to improve their performance; build on and exceed goals and achievements; recognize, reward, support, and celebrate staff; and meet children, families, and communities with tailored programming and services.

Benefits of Participation

The application process prepares programs for Head Start monitoring protocols through alignment with HSPS standards and entitles programs to:

  • A thorough organizational evaluation, designed specifically for Head Start.
  • Identification of strengths and coaching in areas for continuous improvement.
  • Announcement of accreditation sent by NHSA to your senators, representatives, and state governor.
  • Recognition and features at NHSA’s National Head Start Conference and in NHSA publications, including a spotlight story, access to a marketing toolkit, and assistance to tell your story in the media.
  • Use of the NHSA Program of Excellence Accreditation logo, a nationally recognized mark of distinction in the Head Start field.
  • Entrance into a community of the best and most innovative educational programs across the country, as well as a forum for leaders to share their ideas and accomplishments.

2024 Programs

  • Black Belt Community Foundation Head Start, Selma, AL
  • Centro De La Familia, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Child Crisis Arizona Early Education Services, Mesa, AZ
  • Flowers Early Learning, Paw Paw, MI
  • Jefferson County Head Start, Arvada, CO
  • KCEOC Community Action Partnership, Gray, KY
  • Orange County Head Start, Inc., Santa Ana, CA
  • Pearl River Valley Opportunity, Inc. Head Start & Early Head Start, Columbia, MS
  • Pomona Unified School District, Pomona, CA
  • Successful Beginnings Wyandotte County Head Start, Kansas City, KS
  • Wayne Action Group For Economic Solvency, Inc, Goldsboro, NC
  • You Thrive Florida Learning Programs, Woodland Boulevard, Deland, FL

2023 Programs

  • Family Resource Agency of Tennessee, Cleveland, TN
  • Community Action Council, Lexington, KY
  • Neighborhood House Association Head Start, San Diego, CA
  • Porter-Leath Early Head Start, Memphis, TN
  • Miami-Dade Community Action and Human Services, Miami, FL
  • Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc., Jackson, MS
  • Family Resource Agency of North Georgia HS/EHS/Pre-K, Rossville, GA
  • Community Action Agency, Jackson, MI
  • Foundation For Early Childhood Education, Pasadena, CA
  • Capital Area Community Services Head Start, Lansing, MI
  • Brightpoint Head Start , Fort Wayne, IN

2022 Programs

  • Children’s Friend Head Start Providence, RI
  • Community Services For Children Head Start/Early Head Start of the Lehigh Valley Allentown, PA
  • East Bay Community Action Program Head Start Newport, RI
  • Hillsborough County  Board of County Commissioners Head Start/Early Head Start Program Tampa, FL
  • Maui Family Support Services Inc. Early Head Start Wailuku, HI
  • Mercer County Head Start Celina, OH
  • Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency Inc. Child Development Program Utica, NY
  • Murray Head Start Murray, KY
  • New St. Paul Head Start Agency Detroit, MI
  • Parents In Community Action Minneapolis, MN
  • Tri-Valley Opportunity Council Head Start, Child & Family Programs Crookston, MN
  • United Community Action Partnership Cosmos, MN
  • YWCA Metro St. Louis Early Education Program St. Louis, MO

Children First, Inc.

Founded by the Junior League in 1961, Children First, Inc., proudly operates a total of 13 sites strategically located in Sarasota County, Florida serving 216 Early Head Start children and pregnant people and 312 Head Start children as well as children in our Early Childhood Education Program in Florida’s Voluntary Pre-kindergarten program, and state scholarship or private pay, blending services while providing the comprehensive Head Start model to all.

Areas of Innovation: Nurturing Dads Initiative, Families First Institute, Mental Wellness Support Program, Take Stock in Children First, Raise Your Hand Campaign, numerous community partnerships and a strong and involved Board of Directors.

In their own words: "Our mission reflects our underlying aspiration for the successful achievement of Head Start and Early Head Start goals and objectives and our main priority of kindergarten readiness for all children and self-sufficiency for the families we serve."

Designation Term: 2016-2021