Head Start is a comprehensive family-focused child development program that offers education, health, to include medical and dental assessments and nutrition, parent involvement and social services for low income families and their children.

The Louisiana State Head Start Collaboration Project (LSHSCP) began in 1997. The LSHSCP, along with the Louisiana Head Start Association (LHSA), has as its goal to create and offer support to statewide partnerships among Head Start programs, child care programs and public school pre-kindergarten programs. The project is federally funded and embraces the principle of serving the whole family as the key strategy for improving developmental, social and economic conditions for low-income children. The project also identifies gaps and overlaps in service delivery to low income families and initiates/recommends strategies resulting in improved access, delivery and co-ordination of services for families with young children. The project is charged to develop initiatives in eight priority areas: education, child care, health care, welfare, family literacy, national services activities, homelessness, and children with disabilities.