TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Starting in January, Head Start classrooms in Leon County will expand at elementary schools. Children as young as 3 will get earlier instruction to boost kindergarten readiness.
- Leon County School Board approved a plan to expand Head Start programs in 2026.
- Early exposure helps children learn routines, behavior and peer engagement, building foundational skills that improve kindergarten assessments and future learning.
- Watch the video to see how this expansion will help families.
Head Start Program to expand in Leon County in 2026
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Parents may be getting some relief.
The Leon County School Board approved a plan to expand Head Start programs to include 3-year-olds.
"It is important that children are exposed as early as possible, so that their success in the school system becomes even more apparent," Cecka Rose Green, Children’s Services Council of Leon County Executive Director, said.
The Leon County School Board member for District 3 Darryl Jones says the board approved a plan allowing schools to come in contact and provide instruction as early as 3 years of age.
"Bringing those young people on site in our Head Start programs at our local elementary schools is going to mean that they will now have the type of instruction that prepares them for even greater cognitive development and learning," Jones said.
Starting January 2026, according to Jones, Head Start will open classrooms at the Wesson campus, Pineview, Hartsfield and Sabal Palm with opportunities coming to Astoria, Oak Ridge, Apalachee, Seeley and Springwood elementary schools.
"By having these Head Start classrooms in the public schools, particularly in Title I schools, where it can be very difficult for parents to get them to learning facilities, it's going to improve exponentially those children's performance on the standardized test," Green said.
Jones says the goal is "for students to understand the classroom setting. They'll understand how to behave, how to learn, how to engage with their classmates."
Kids will learn the routines and how to engage. But the impact doesn't stop there.
"So it can only mean positive outcomes, not only for the children and families, but for Leon County as a whole," Green said.
Green says the goal is to prevent a student's first time being introduced to a classroom at the age of 5. So by starting off at Head Start, then enrolling in voluntary Pre-K, students will be better acclimated come time for kindergarten.
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