Head Start Service Location Datasets

Analysts and developers can use this page to create and download datasets of Head Start service locations. Service locations are the places where Head Start programs operate and staff serve children and families. You may input a city, state, ZIP code, or grant number. You may also select which type of Head Start service location you wish to include in your dataset. Your search criteria will generate results in CSV, XML, and JSON formats.

The locations datasets are updated on a daily basis. Refer to the data dictionary below for more information and for additional notes about this data.

Data Dictionary

Data Source

Location data is self-reported and kept up-to-date by each grant recipient. The Office of Head Start sends periodic reminders to grant recipients to update their center datasets, typically on an annual basis. However, it is expected that each grant recipient updates their service location data any time changes occur throughout the year. The reliability of this data largely depends on the quality of data submitted and maintained by grant recipients.

This data feed refreshes once a day, which means any changes made by a grant recipient on their locations data will appear on this dataset the following day. Daily archives of this data are not available.

Search Functionality

Users can generate datasets by inputting a city, state, ZIP code, or grant number, and selecting the desired Head Start service location type. If the search functionality is not used, a national dataset is be generated by default.

Format Availability

Search results are available in CSV, XML, and JSON formats.

2024 Revisions

File Renaming
1. National data file titled “all_all” has been renamed to “hs_service_locations”.
2. Search data file titled “data” has been renamed to “hs_service_locations_filtered_results”.
Variable Order and Naming Changes: The columns have been reordered and renamed for improved clarity and intuitiveness. If you were using the prior version of the file and need to crosswalk the changes made, see the var_changes table.
Data Dictionary Release: This data dictionary has been added to the newest release of the data.
New Variables Added: Additional variables related to the grant recipient administration details have been added at the end of the file.

Program and Grant Address Fields

Primarily for one of the following reasons, Program Administration Address fields (program_admin_id, program_admin_name, program_admin_address_line_one, etc.) may differ from the Grant Recipient Address fields (recipient_admin_address_line_one, recipient_admin_address_line_two, etc.):

A Head Start grant recipient may have multiple administrative locations, including the grant recipient address representing their headquarters and the program administrative address representing where Head Start program administrative staff are primarily located.
A Head Start grant recipient delegates program services to another agency. In this case, the program administrative address would represent the location of the delegate agency.

These fields combined provide a better understanding of the administrative locations associated with a grant.

**Table 1: data_dictionary**
data_field	alias	variable_type	definition
grant_number	Grant Number	string	The grant number associated with this service location.
recipient_name	Recipient Name	string	The name of the grant recipient organization.
program_type	Program Type	numeric	The type of Head Start programming delivered at this service location. 1 = Head Start 2 = Early Head Start 3 + 4 = Migrant and Seasonal Head Start 5 = American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start 6 = American Indian and Alaska Native Early Head Start
service_location_name	Service Location Name	string	The name of the service location where services are provided.
address_line_one	Address Line One	string	The primary address line for the service location.
address_line_two	Address Line Two	string	The secondary address line for the service location, if applicable.
city	City	string	The city where the service location is situated.
state	State or Territory	string	The US state or territory in which the service location is situated.
zip	Zip	string	The postal ZIP code for the service location.
zip_4	Zip 4	string	The 4-digit extension of the postal ZIP code, if applicable.
latitude	Latitude	numeric	The geographic latitude coordinate of the service location.
longitude	Longitude	numeric	The geographic longitude coordinate of the service location.
county	County	string	The county where the service location is situated.
funded_slots	Funded Slots	numeric	The number of funded slots in the service location as reported by the grant recipient. These slots may be funded by the Office of Head Start (OHS), state funds, tribal funds, other federal programs, or additional non-OHS sources.
status	Status	string	The operating status of the service location. Open: Currently, children/pregnant women are receiving services at the designated location. Closed: Currently, children/pregnant women are not receiving services at the designated location. Examples of closed status include a lack of staff and facility issues that are being addressed. Scheduled holidays, summer breaks, and short term closures (ex. snow days) are not represented in this status.
registration_phone_number	Registration Phone Number	string	The public phone number used for registration and inquiries.
service_location_phone_number	Service Location Phone Number	string	The general phone number for the service location.
program_admin_id	Program Admin Id	string	The administrative ID representing the overseeing program's office. It also indicates whether the program is operated directly by the grant recipient or program services are delegated to another agency. 000 or 200 - Program operated directly by the grant recipient 001, 201, 101, 201, 002, 202, 003, 203... - Program operated by a delegate agency
program_admin_name	Program Admin Name	string	The name of the administrative office or entity overseeing the program.
program_admin_address_line_one	Program Admin Address Line One	string	The primary address line of the program's administrative office.
program_admin_address_line_two	Program Admin Address Line Two	string	The secondary address line of the program's administrative office, if applicable.
program_admin_city	Program Admin City	string	The city where the program's administrative office is located.
program_admin_state	Program Admin State	string	The state where the program's administrative office is located.
program_admin_county	Program Admin County	string	The county where the program's administrative office is located.
program_admin_zip	Program Admin Zip	string	The postal ZIP code for the program's administrative office.
program_admin_zip_4	Program Admin Zip 4	string	The 4-digit extension of the ZIP code for the program's administrative office, if applicable.

**Table 2: var_changes**
prior_var	new_var
grantNumber	grant_number
type	program_type
programIdentifier	recipient_name
cID	n/a
name	service_location_name
addressLineOne	address_line_one
addressLineTwo	address_line_two
city	city
state	state
zip5	zip
zip4	zip_4
latitude	latitude
longitude	longitude
county	county
slots	funded_slots
status	status
programRegistrationPhone	registration_phone_number
phone, programPhone	service_location_phone_number
delegateNumber	program_admin_id
programName	program_admin_name
programAddressLineOne	program_admin_address_line_one
programAddressLineTwo	program_admin_address_line_two
programCity	program_admin_city
programState	program_admin_state
programCounty	program_admin_county
programZipFive	program_admin_zip
programZipFour	program_admin_zip_4

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National Centers: Office of Head Start

Last Updated: April 11, 2024