Head start
What is Head start?
MCIU Head Start promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in their local community. Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from ages 3 to 5. In addition to education services, programs provide children and their families with health, nutrition, social, and other services.
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Head Start is a FREE, federally-funded preschool program for children from low-income families ages 3 to 5 in Montgomery County.
The program offers no-cost educational, nutritional, and social services that help children prepare for success in school. MCIU Head Start provides services to enrolled families, and also meets the needs of special populations, including children with disabilities.
When and where is Head Start available?
MCIU Head Start operates Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm at centers in the following locations:
- Abington
- Ambler
- Lansdale
- Norristown
- Pottstown
- Schwenksville
- Souderton
- Upper Dublin
Application Instructions
To apply to our preschool programs for the 2021/2022 School Year, please review this LIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION that needs to accompany your application. Â Please note that income eligibility is determined by the current federal poverty guidelines.
Poverty Guidelines:
MCIU Head Start Community and School District Partnerships
The MCIU Head Start program partners with several organizations in the community to provide additional experiences that enrich the children and families we serve. The holistic nature of our program requires that we collaborate with as many community resources as possible to provide a wide range of activities to our students and families. Many of these partnerships are program wide, with few serving specific sites because of the direct impact they have on the immediate community served.
All of our partnerships are purposefully designed to increase community involvement and awareness of the MCIU Head Start Program.
Community Partnerships
The MCIU Head Start program partners with several organizations in the community to provide additional experiences that enrich the children and families we serve. The holistic nature of our program requires that we collaborate with as many community resources as possible to provide a wide range of activities to our students and families. Many of these partnerships are program wide, with few serving specific sites because of the direct impact they have on the immediate community served.
All of our partnerships are purposefully designed to increase community involvement and awareness of the MCIU Head Start Program.
School District Partnerships
The MCIU Head Start program proudly partners with Montgomery County School Districts to ensure a smooth transition for families and children into their respective Kindergarten sites.
Paula Rice
Program Administrator
Paula Rice started her career as a high school student learning and working with the Head Start program in Coatesville as part of a consumer science program. She later became a lead teacher in a preschool located in Chester Springs. After 15 years as a teacher, Paula became the Director of the center and decided to work with low income families as a Teacher for Head Start. After three years teaching Children in Head Start Paula became the Director serving all of Montgomery County . She received her Associates Degree  in Early Childhood from Harcum College as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Immaculata University with a minor in Elementary Education. Paula has been the Director of the Head Start Program since August of 2016.Â
