Mid-America Head Start
Mid-America Head Start and Early Head Start serve more than 3,000 infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers in Clay, Jackson and Platte counties in Missouri. We are dedicated to improving the well-being of low-income families by working with each family to identify their specific needs.
In 2005, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) named Mid-America Regional Council as the lead grantee for the Head Start program in the three Missouri counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
As the grantee, MAHS provides an umbrella of critical systems to ensure that families have access to consistently high-quality programs no matter where or how they receive Head Start services. These systems include: Governance, Fiscal Management, Planning, Communication, Recordkeeping and Reporting, Monitoring, Self-Assessment and Professional Development.
Four delegate agencies — The Family Conservancy, the Independence School District, the Kansas City, Missouri, School District and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City � provide the direct services to the children and families for Mid-America Head Start. These agencies are all dedicated to improving the well-being of low-income families by working with each family to identify their specific needs.
Major strategic goals for Mid-America Head Start and the four delegates include:
- Closing the school readiness gap.
- Focusing on families and involve families in all aspects of Head Start programs.
- Involving and engaging the community.
- Building sustainable funding and support for the program.
- Building a common value of excellence.
Together, MAHS and its delegates bring more than 510 years of service in the local community. Additionally, these agencies have strong internal controls in place and are regularly audited as part of the rigorous fiscal policies that guide their operations.
Check out the most recent Mid-America Head Start Annual Report, as well as other new items in our Publications section>