Early Head Start
Bears Early Head Start
230 S Fairfield Dr, El Centro, CA 92243
Run by Imperial County Office of Education
Find a program / Head Start centers / California / El Centro
El Centro, California
Head Start and Early Head Start in El Centro, CA
5 open Head Start and Early Head Start locations in El Centro, from the federal Office of Head Start.
Head Start
Bears Head Start Center
280 S Fairfield Dr, El Centro, CA 92243
Run by Imperial County Office of Education
Early Head Start
El Centro Early Learning Center
1960 N Imperial Ave, El Centro, CA 92243
Run by Volunteers of America Southwest Corporation
Head Start
El Centro MHSP
375 S 1st St, El Centro, CA 92243
Run by Riverside County Office of Education, MHS
Head Start and Early Head Start
Panthers Early Head Start and Head Start Center
1177 N 8th St, El Centro, CA 92243
Run by Imperial County Office of Education
Who can enroll
Head Start serves children ages 3 to 5 (ask the center about its birthday cutoff date). Early Head Start serves pregnant women, babies and toddlers under 3. Both are free for families who qualify.
Families usually qualify when household income is at or below the federal poverty guideline for their family size, or when the family gets public assistance such as TANF or SSI, the child is in foster care, or the family is experiencing homelessness. Programs may also enroll some children from families just above the guideline, and each program sets its own application steps and waitlist, so ask the center.
Official HHS poverty guidelines (current year) · Head Start's own center locator
Also in El Centro
Licensed child care and after-school programs in El Centro · Youth nonprofits in El Centro · California program rules
Source: Head Start Service Location Dataset, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start (CSV file), file dated November 8, 2026. The information is reported by each Head Start grant recipient and can be out of date, so call the center to confirm its address, hours and openings. Locations the program lists as closed are left out. Home-based locations show city and ZIP code only. A listing is not an endorsement.