How to enroll your child in Head Start or Early Head Start

They are early childhood development centers designed to provide a learning environment supporting the child’s growth in language, literacy, cognition, general knowledge, physical development, health, and social-emotional development. Early Head Start serves infants and children from birth to age 3, plus pregnant women and their families; Head Start serves children from age 3 to 4 years 11 months. In Puerto Rico they are administered by ACUDEN — the Administration for the Integral Care and Development of Childhood, part of the Department of the Family — through delegated agencies operating the centers across regions. It is an education programme focused on low-income families, not private daycare: selection follows need-based criteria.

Eligibility revolves around family income and the programme’s priorities. Priority goes to children in foster homes, homeless children and families, children with disabilities, families receiving TANF and families below the federal poverty guidelines. Income verification is required, and the programme can enroll up to 10% of families with income above the guidelines. By age: Early Head Start from birth to age 3 (including pregnant women), Head Start from age 3 to 4 years 11 months. Not being in a priority category does not exclude you: applications are scored and those with greatest need enter first, with a waitlist for the rest.

• The child’s age within the programme: Early Head Start from birth to age 3 (the programme also serves pregnant women); Head Start from age 3 to 4 years 11 months.Verified against the official source
• Passing the family income verification; priority goes to foster homes, homeless families, children with disabilities, TANF families and families below the poverty guidelines.Verified against the official source
• Completing the interview with the delegated agency: cases are scored by income, the child’s age, risk factors and disabilities, and greatest need is selected first.Verified against the official source

• The child’s birth certificate or passport (for review and return).
• Evidence of family income: W-2, tax returns, employment verification, pay stubs, Social Security, retirement or unemployment benefits, child support (ASUME) or other income sources.
• A copy of a utility bill or the rental contract.
• If the child has special needs: diagnoses and medical or specialist evaluations.
• If the family participates in TANF: evidence of that participation.
• A copy of the vaccination card or the green P-VAC-3 form.

1. 1

   Step 1: Note the recruitment dates

   Recruitment for the school year starting in August runs February through May. Outside those dates it is not fully closed: there is continuous recruitment during the year to fill center vacancies. If your child reaches the age mid-year, ask anyway.

2. 2

   Step 2: Find your delegated agency or apply online

   Centers are operated by delegated agencies per region. ACUDEN’s services page has a map of delegated agencies and a "Llenar Solicitud" button to submit the application online. You can also contact a nearby center directly, or call ACUDEN at (787) 724-7474 or (787) 294-4900 for guidance on which delegated agency covers your area.

3. 3

   Step 3: Gather the six documents

   The child’s birth certificate or passport (reviewed and returned), income evidence, a utility bill or rental contract, medical evaluations if the child has special needs, TANF evidence if applicable, and the vaccination card or green P-VAC-3 form. Income evidence takes several forms: W-2, tax returns, pay stubs, an employer letter, Social Security or unemployment benefits, or ASUME child support.

4. 4

   Step 4: Do the interview and await selection

   Families go through an interview with the delegated agency. Each application is scored on criteria including family income, the child’s age, risk factors and the presence of disabilities. Highest-scoring cases — those with greatest need — are selected first, and the rest join a waitlist updated as vacancies arise. Being waitlisted is not a no: vacancies open during the year.

With your region’s delegated agency or at a nearby Head Start center; the delegated-agency map and the online application are on ACUDEN’s services page (acuden.pr.gov). ACUDEN phones: (787) 724-7474 and (787) 294-4900, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Email: acudenteasiste@familia.pr.gov. Address: Edificio Mercantil Plaza, Ave. Ponce de León, Pda. 27 ½, Hato Rey; PO Box 190998, San Juan, PR 00919-0998.

• Missing the February-May recruitment for the year starting in August. You can apply the rest of the year for vacancies, but that is the main window.
• Confusing the two programmes: Early Head Start is birth to age 3 (and serves pregnant women); Head Start is age 3 to 4 years 11 months.
• Not applying because you assume income disqualifies you: there is a margin of up to 10% enrollment above the guidelines and the criteria score more than income.
• Handing in the birth certificate expecting it to stay in the file: it is reviewed and returned.
• Forgetting the vaccination card or the green P-VAC-3, which is part of the document list.
• Giving up when waitlisted: the list is updated as vacancies arise during the year.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Administración para el Cuidado y Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez (ACUDEN)

  ACUDEN

  www.acuden.pr.gov

• ACUDEN portal

  ACUDEN

  www.acuden.pr.gov