Head Start
Leon Central Decatur Collaboration with Head Start
201 SE 6th St, Leon, IA 50144
Run by South Central Iowa Community Action Program
Head Start centers / Iowa / Leon
Early Head Start
Leon Early Head Start Center
A Early Head Start center in Leon, Iowa, run by South Central Iowa Community Action Program.
Center details
Program: Early Head Start
Ages served: Early Head Start: pregnant women, babies and toddlers under 3
Address: 1601 NW Church St, Leon, IA 50144
County: Decatur
Run by: South Central Iowa Community Action Program, Chariton, IA
Federal grant ID (for reference): 07CH012193
Funded seats at this site: Early Head Start: 32. These are total funded seats, not how many are open.
Phone: (641) 446-8050
To apply, call: (641) 774-8133 ext. 223
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 Leon
Other options near Leon
Licensed child care and after-school programs in Leon · Iowa 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 The information is reported by each Head Start grant recipient and can be out of date, so call the center to confirm its address, hours and openings.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.