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Determining Eligibility for the Head Start Program:​

To be eligible for the Head Start Program, children must be at least three years old and not yet Kindergarten age by September 1 of the enrolling school year. Families enrolling in the Head Start Program are considered eligible through the end of the succeeding program year, provided current enrollment is maintained and the participant does not drop from the program.

​Families must meet one of the following eligibility criteria in order to qualify for services:

  1. The family's income is equal to or below the poverty line
  2. The family is currently receiving public assistance; including TANF/CalWORKS CashAid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/CalFresh and SSI
  3. The child is experiencing homelessness
  4. The child is in foster care or kinship care
  5. Exceptional Needs - the child must have a current and active IEP

Full-Day Head Start Need Verification (West Riverside and Ina Arbuckle Only)

In addition to the eligibility criteria listed above, families interested in enrolling in the Full-Day Classroom at West Riverside or Ina Arbuckle must meet one of the following need criteria:

  1. Working/employed at least 25 hours per week (both parents in a two-parent household)
  2. Participating in a vocational training program at least 25 hours per week
  3. Attending and enrolled in school at least seven (7) units or more per semester/quarter – Parent must bring in school enrollment records that shows enrollment status and currently enrolled units.
  4. Parent is incapacitated to the extent that the parent's ability to provide normal care for the child is significantly limited. Incapacity must be verified by legally qualified professional and/or doctor in writing. Letter is valid for one program year.
  5. Be eligible based upon experiencing homelessness or under foster care
 
Priority for the full-day program will be given to families that provide at least one of the need verifications identified above.

Determining Eligibility for the State Preschool Program:
​To be eligible for the State Preschool Program, children must be 3 years old by December 1st of the enrolling school year. Families enrolling in the State Preschool Program are considered eligible through the end of the succeeding program year as long as enrollment is maintained and the child is not Kindergarten eligible. 
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Families must meet one of the following eligibility criteria in order to qualify for services:
  1. Child Protective Services / At-Risk- Family has a child who is at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or receiving child protective services through the county welfare department
  2. Excpetional Needs - Child must have current and active IEP
  3. Income - Family is income eligible. Total adjusted monthly income is below 85% of the State Median Income
  4. Public Assistance - Family is a cash aid recipient
  5. Homelessness - Family is homeless
  6. Participation in a Means-Tested Government Program - edi-Cal, CalFresh, the California Food Assistance Program, the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the federal Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Head Start, Early Head Start, CalWORKS​. ​