Head Start
Big Cove Children's Center
38 Old School Loop, Cherokee, NC 28719
Run by Eastern BAND OF Cherokee Indians
Head Start centers / North Carolina / Cherokee
Head Start and Early Head Start
Dora Reed Children's Center
A Head Start and Early Head Start center in Cherokee, North Carolina, run by Eastern BAND OF Cherokee Indians.
Center details
Program: American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start and American Indian and Alaska Native Early Head Start
Ages served: Early Head Start: pregnant women, babies and toddlers under 3; Head Start: children ages 3 to 5
Address: 897 Acquoni Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719
County: Jackson
Run by: Eastern BAND OF Cherokee Indians, Cherokee, NC
Federal grant ID (for reference): 90CI010218
Funded seats at this site: American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start: 120; American Indian and Alaska Native Early Head Start: 102. These are total funded seats, not how many are open.
Phone: (828) 359-6589
To apply, call: (828) 359-6593
Status: Not reported in the federal file. Call to confirm the center is open.
Every Head Start program must meet federal quality rules for early learning, health and family support. When you call, ask: How do I apply and what documents do I bring? Is there a waitlist? Is the day full or part? Is there transportation?
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
More Head Start locations in Cherokee
Other options near Cherokee
Licensed child care and after-school programs in Cherokee · North Carolina child care 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 The information is reported by each Head Start grant recipient and can be out of date, so call the center to confirm its address, hours and openings.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.
Something wrong? Head Start centers update their own records with the Office of Head Start; you can also tell us and we'll fix or remove this page.