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Illinois
Head Start and Early Head Start centers in Illinois
494 open Head Start and Early Head Start locations in 174 Illinois cities and towns, from the federal Office of Head Start.
Cities with the most centers
All cities A–Z
- Abingdon 1
- Addison 3
- Albion 1
- Aledo 1
- Altamont 1
- Alton 1
- Aurora 8
- Beach Park 1
- Beardstown 2
- Belleville 1
- Bellwood 3
- Benld 1
- Bensenville 1
- Benton 1
- Berwyn 4
- Bethalto 1
- Bloomington 4
- Bolingbrook 1
- Bonfield 1
- Bourbonnais 2
- Breese 1
- Bridgeport 1
- Brighton 1
- Cahokia 1
- Calumet City 2
- Camargo 1
- Camp Point 1
- Canton 1
- Carbondale 1
- Carlinville 1
- Carol Stream 2
- Carpentersville 3
- Carterville 1
- Casey 2
- Caseyville 1
- Centralia 1
- Champaign 5
- Charleston 2
- Chebanse 1
- Chicago 227
- Chicago Heights 1
- Chrisman 1
- Cicero 6
- Clinton 1
- Cobden 1
- Collinsville 1
- Coulterville 1
- Country Club Hills 1
- Creve Coeur 1
- Crystal Lake 1
- Danville 1
- Decatur 2
- Dekalb 1
- Dixon 1
- Dolton 1
- East Moline 1
- East Peoria 2
- East Saint Louis 5
- Edwardsville 1
- Effingham 1
- Elgin 2
- Elizabethtown 1
- Elmwood Park 1
- Eureka 1
- Evanston 5
- Fairfield 1
- Ford Heights 1
- Freeport 1
- Galesburg 1
- Gilman 1
- Glen Ellyn 1
- Golconda 1
- Granite City 1
- Grayslake 1
- Greenup 1
- Hardin 1
- Harrisburg 1
- Harvard 1
- Havana 1
- Hickory Hills 1
- Hopkins Park 1
- Jacksonville 1
- Jerseyville 1
- Joliet 6
- Jonesboro 1
- Justice 1
- Kankakee 7
- Kewanee 1
- Lacon 1
- Lansing 2
- Lawrenceville 1
- Lebanon 1
- Lewistown 1
- Lincoln 3
- Litchfield 1
- Louisville 1
- Lynwood 2
- Macomb 1
- Manteno 1
- Marion 1
- Maywood 1
- Mc Leansboro 1
- McHenry 1
- Melrose Park 2
- Mendota 1
- Metropolis 2
- Milan 2
- Moline 4
- Monmouth 1
- Morris 1
- Mounds 1
- Mount Vernon 1
- Mulkeytown 1
- Murphysboro 1
- Neoga 1
- Newton 1
- North Chicago 1
- Oblong 1
- Olney 1
- Oregon 1
- Oswego 1
- Ottawa 2
- Palatine 1
- Pana 1
- Paris 1
- Paxton 1
- Pekin 1
- Peoria 8
- Percy 1
- Peru 1
- Petersburg 1
- Pinckneyville 1
- Pittsfield 1
- Pontiac 1
- Quincy 2
- Rantoul 1
- Richton Park 1
- Riverdale 1
- Robbins 1
- Robinson 1
- Rochelle 1
- Rock Island 7
- Rockford 4
- Round Lake Beach 1
- Salem 1
- Schaumburg 1
- Seneca 1
- Shelbyville 1
- Skokie 1
- South Holland 1
- Sparta 1
- Spring Valley 1
- Springfield 3
- Steeleville 1
- Sterling 1
- Streator 1
- Sycamore 1
- Tamaroa 1
- Tamms 1
- Taylorville 1
- University Park 1
- Urbana 1
- Vandalia 1
- Vienna 1
- Warrenville 1
- Washington 1
- Waterloo 1
- Watseka 1
- Waukegan 4
- West Chicago 3
- Westchester 1
- Wheaton 3
- White Hall 1
- Zion 2
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 in Illinois
Licensed child care and after-school programs in Illinois · Illinois child care rules · Youth nonprofits in Illinois