Give your child a Head Start.
The first five years are the foundation.
High-quality early education and childcare — at no cost to qualifying families.
Two programs. One commitment.
From birth through preschool, Head Start and Early Head Start provide children and parents the support they need to succeed — at no cost to qualifying families. Our teachers are bilingual and culturally competent, moving between English, Spanish, and Mixteco throughout the day — children learn together, and build a foundation in both languages so a language difference is never mistaken for a learning difficulty when they reach school.
01 Infants · Toddlers · Pregnant Parents Early Head Start
Starting from the very beginning.
Early Head Start serves children from birth through age 3 — and pregnant parents preparing for what's ahead. Center-based early education and child care in a safe, stimulating environment, with health and wellness check-ups, healthy meals, and a Family Service Advocate who builds a real relationship with your family on day one.
02 Preschool · Ages 3–5 Head Start
The foundation that sets your child up for kindergarten and beyond.
Head Start goes far beyond academics. Your child gets Creative Curriculum® — a research-based approach that builds critical thinking, social-emotional skills, and school readiness through play and exploration. Alongside that: health and wellness check-ups, healthy meals, and a Family Service Advocate dedicated to your whole family for the entire program year.
When your child enrolls, your whole family gains a team.
Six ways Children's Services supports children, families, and the systems around them.
Research-Based Education
Creative Curriculum® builds critical thinking, social skills, and kindergarten readiness through play-based exploration. Time tested, data driven results.
Health & Wellness
Healthy meals, health and wellness check-ups, dental screenings, and fluoride treatments — included. Low teacher-to-child ratios. STEM and nature-focused interactive play to learn.
Family Service Advocate
Your FSA meets you on day one — before your child's first class. They help you set goals, access community resources, and stay alongside your family all year.
Family Partnership Goals
You set a goal at enrollment: education, employment, stability, or whatever matters most to your family. Your FSA supports you in reaching it.
Parent Engagement
You are a partner in your child's education. Parent engagement is built into every program year; it's a standard, not a bonus.
Community Connection
Head Start is a community, not just child care or early education. Through your FSA, connect to housing, food, health, mental health, financial assistance, and other community resources your family may need.
Good for children. Good for parents. Good for Santa Barbara County.
School-ready by kindergarten — socially, emotionally, and academically — with health, dental, and nutrition built in from day one.
Free, full-day early education means parents can work, finish school, and set family goals — with a Family Service Advocate alongside them.
Every classroom seat supports a working family, a stronger workforce, and children who arrive at local schools ready to learn.
Looking for "First 5"? First 5 is a funding source, not a program you can enroll in. If you're looking for early education for your child in Santa Barbara County, Head Start is the program — and you can apply right here.
The first person your family meets isn't a form — it's a person.
Most programs send you paperwork when you're accepted. Children's Services sends you a person.
Your Family Service Advocate meets your family at the center before your child's first day — not to hand you a packet, but to sit with you. To learn what your child is like. To talk through what the program offers and what you're hoping for, for your family and for yourself.
Families consistently describe their FSA as a reliable resource — someone they trust to guide them, not just to process them.
That conversation is where your Family Partnership Goal begins. It's a goal you set: stability, education, employment, or something else entirely. Your FSA stays alongside you as you work toward it.
Throughout the year, your FSA is also a connector, someone who knows the landscape of community services. Health referrals. Housing support. Financial assistance. Whatever the need, your FSA knows where to look.
- 1 Orientation at the center — before day one
- 2 A real conversation about your family and your hopes
- 3 Your Family Partnership Goal — set by you
- 4 Ongoing check-ins across the program year
One mother's journey.
Head Start · Early Head Start She came to Head Start with a goal: finish high school.
Her son enrolled in Early Head Start, then transferred into the Part Day program. At her first FSA meeting, she set her Family Partnership Goal — her diploma — and started working toward it.
Along the way, she faced cancer. Personal family challenges. The kind of obstacles that would stop most people. While she studied and balanced being a mom, her son's teachers gave him a safe, consistent classroom day after day. Her FSA checked in. Other Head Start parents in her cohort showed up alongside her. The community held the ground steady while she did the work.
In June 2025, she graduated on stage. She invited her CommUnify team to the ceremony. They couldn't make it — but they visited her a few days later. She greeted them with news: she'd enrolled in a 22-week 911 dispatcher training program starting that summer.
Her child got a strong, positive start. She got a safe place to leave him while she built her future. That's what Head Start is for.
Head Start Centers across Santa Barbara County.
Pinpoint the centers closest to your family. Click any center for driving directions.
South County
Behavioral Health When a child needs a little more support.
Some children come into our programs with social-emotional needs that benefit from additional attention. CommUnify's Behavioral Health team partners directly with Children's Services — so if your child's teacher or FSA notices early signs that extra support would help, a warm referral happens from within.
No separate intake. No starting over. Just the right person, at the right time, while there's still time to make a difference.
Learn About Behavioral Health Services → Don't have a child of your own to enroll, but want to support Head Start?
Give your time where children learn every day.
Back a whole center and the families it serves.
Every center welcomes a champion.
Learn More →Ready when you are.
If you're still exploring your options, start with our free screening. The program helps you understand what CommUnify programs and services are available to you. The screening tells you what to expect and what you may qualify for. No documents required to start.
You may also qualify for other CommUnify programs — such as utility bill payment assistance, food and nutrition support, senior services, or financial assistance — programs you might not have known to ask about. Starting with our free screening is the easiest way to find out.
Click Here to Start →
Need help right now?
Call or text 211 — CommUnify's Information & Referral Helpline
serving Santa Barbara County.