Applications are available online, at any Head Start or Early Head Start center as well as the central office. Once the application is completed, please either mail it or bring it to the closest HS center to you, or the Administration Office which is located at 3639 W. Waters Avenue, Suite 500, Tampa, FL 33614. It will then be forwarded to a social worker who screens the application for eligibility. Families are then notified of the eligibility and if there are no vacancies, the eligible child is placed on a rank ordered waiting list and notified of a vacancy when one occurs.

Eligibility Guidelines

For Head Start: A child must be 3 by September 1 of the current school year or 4 years old. Children with a diagnosed disability can be enrolled on their third birthday.

For Early Head Start: A child must be between the ages of 6 weeks and 23 months old and reside in designated zip codes.

For Expectant Parents: The Expectant Parent Program requires participants to be in the first or second trimester of pregnancy and due in May, June or July.  In addition, the mother is required to reside in the designated zip codes.