The last day to start and submit your online application for the 2024-25 school year is December 20th, 2024

If the child you are applying for is in foster care (see definition of foster care) or experiencing homelessness (see definition of homeless children) click here to help us identify these vulnerable children and speed up their intake appointments.

Definition of Foster care: Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the state agency has placement and care responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, placements in foster family homes, foster homes of relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, child-care institutions, and pre-adoptive homes.

Definition of Homelessness: The term “homeless children and youths” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes those who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals; who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; A child living with non-parent relatives due to loss of housing, economic hardship, substance misuse, or incarceration the child may be considered homeless.

If the child is in foster care, experiencing homelessness or applying from another Head Start, you can submit an application up until the last work day of March 2025 by calling 801-925-4073.

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Why Apply?

Partner with us to set your child on path to succeed in school and beyond. We provide transformational family support to move your family toward meaningful engagement and self reliance. We invite you to submit an application. It may be helpful to review the frequently asked questions below before starting the application process. We gather a lot of information to learn how to best serve your child and family.

Before Appointment

Please read through the following materials before attending your appointment with the Family Advocate. DO NOT PRINT THEM OUT AND SIGN THEM. They are just for your reference at this point as you will be signing them electronically during your appointment. It will save you time during the appointment if you are aware before hand of what you are being asked to give permission to.
Health and Medical History
Nutrition Assessment
Health and Developmental Screening Consent Form
Authorization to Request and Disclose Information

FAQ

Our program receives a federal Head Start grant and community donations to subsidize the cost, so our services comes at no cost to eligible families!

Please click apply to speak to a Family Advocate to see if you qualify.

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Children must be 3 or 4 years old by or on the school cutoff date (September 1). That means that if your child will turn 5 before or on September 1 of the school year for which you are applying they will need to register for Kindergarten. If your child turns 3 after September 1 you can apply on or after their birthday.

We can accept an application for a 2-year-old if he/she will be 3 before or on Sept. 1 of the school year for which they are applying. If they will turn 3 after Sept 1, you can complete an application for them as soon as they turn 3.

When determining program eligibility we compare before-tax income to the income guidelines issued each year by the Federal government and which depend on family size. “Family” includes all individuals who are currently living in the home and suppported by the income of the child’s parent or guardian and are related to the child’s parent by blood, adoption or marriage.

Families that receive TANF/FEP, SSI or SNAP are eligible as are families who are at or less than the listed gross income for their family size. Children in foster/kinship care or in a homeless situation are also eligible. Some children who are slightly above the income guidelines (up to 130% of the guideline) may be accepted if there are still spots available after all income eligible children are enrolled.

Income Guidelines

The Head Start program we are funded to operate was created to serve children and families based on their need. That means that families at or below the federal income guidelines and children with Individual Education Plans (IEP) are enrolled first. However, if we continue to have enrollment spots open after income eligible children are accepted, we then offer those spots to children from families that are slightly above the income guidelines (up to 130%) with the greatest need.

Children who have an IEP may be considered for enrollment independent of the family’s income. Placement at one of our centers will depend on the decision of the IEP team which includes the parents.

If your family’s income is above federal income guidelines and you are concerned that your child may have a disability, please complete an application. The Family Advocate will include the concern in the application notes. Once the application is reviewed by a Mental Health and Disability staff member they will contact you to help you determine if an evaluation would be appropriate.

The OHS recently announced that families who receive SNAP (AKA food stamps) benefits are eligible for Head Start. You will need to provide proof that you receive or are eligible to receive SNAP benefits at your appointment with the Family Advocate. You can begin your application and set an appointment now.

Meet With a Family Advocate

You can still fill out an application. We can discuss the requirements more fully with you when you meet with a Family Advocate to address your specific situation. You may begin your application and set an appointment with a Family Advocate.

Start Application

Our school schedule aligns with that of most school districts. The school year begins in August and ends in May. We have open enrollment and accept children throughout the school year when spots are available until mid-April. You may begin your application and set an appointment with a Family Advocate.

Start Application

We have several different schedule options at most centers.

Morning session (3 ½ hours) Monday – Thursday starts at 8:00 or 8:30 and is out by 11:30 or 12:00;
Afternoon session (3 ½ hours) Monday – Thursday starts at 12:00 or 12:30 and is out 3:30 or 4:00.

An Extended day schedule is available at most of our centers.

Monday – Thursday (6 ½ hours) from 8:00, 8:15 or 8:30 until 2:30, 2:45 or 3 pm with early out on Fridays (4 ½ hours).

An application isn’t complete until you’ve met with a Family Advocate and turned in your income information and your child’s birth certificate. Please call 801-375-7981 to set an appointment with a Family Advocate.

If you’ve done all of that and still haven’t heard anything, please call the Family Advocate you met with to find out the status of your child’s application.

Yes. The application must be resubmitted yearly per Head Start requirements. We will not need to reverify your income eligibility if your child completes the school year and you were income eligible for the current year.

February 1. We take applications for a school year from February 1 to mid December. If your child is in foster care, transitioning from another Head Start program or in a homeless situation such as family is living double up with another family in insufficient space, or temporarily in the custody of a family member who is not the parent, you may still be able to submit an application for the current school year until the end of March.

Everyone that applies to our program goes on a waitlist to be considered for enrollment. Placement on the waitlist is not based on first come-first served. It is need-based and depends on the family’s and child’s individual needs as determined during the application process.

During the summer months, we enroll the children with the greatest need first to start in the fall. Then, as enrollment spots become available during the school year, due to children moving or otherwise leaving the program, we enroll the next child on the waitlist with the greatest need. We reevaluate and fill our open spots twice a month during the school year.

Yes, that’s exactly what it means. Depending on your family and child’s individual needs you may be placed on the waitlist before someone who applied before.

We have limited transportation for our Nephi center only and we assist families by providing a list of parents willing to carpool, so you can plan for transportation if needed.