Eligibility Information
1. The child/family must reside within a town located in Rhode Island.

2. The child must be age-eligible. For the Early Head Start program, the woman must be pregnant or the child must be between the ages of birth to three years old. For the Basic Head Start program, the child must be between the ages of three and five years old, but not eligible for Kindergarten due to their age.

3. The family's income must be at or below the Federal Poverty Guideline to be considered income-eligible for the program. A foster child or any family that receives SSI benefits or any amount of cash assistance from the TANF program is automatically income-eligible. However, 10% of funded enrollment slots may be made to families whose income is above the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

The definition for determining income-eligibility has recently been updated by the Administration for Children and Families (see ACF Update dated 7/29/99). Families that receive regular "benefits and services, funded under the authority of the TANF program" are considered income-eligible. In Rhode Island, TANF monies are used (in part) to fund some DCYF services, some child care subsidies and some job training activities.

4. 10% of each program's funded enrollment opportunities are made available for children with diagnosed special needs.

For individual questions regarding overall eligibility, please contact your local Head Start program.