Our History

Pine Belt Community Action Agency is a private, non-profit organization established in 1980.  Pine Belt Head Start is a subsidiary of the Pine Belt Multi-Purpose Agency, Inc.  Head Start is a federally funded national child and family development program that provides comprehensive services for children and their families.

In 1984, Pine Belt received its first grant to sponsor Pine Belt Head Start.  Head Start provides a quality school readiness program for preschool children that increases each 3-5 year old child’s potential for success and self-sufficiency.  More than 12,000 children and families have been served in Pine Belt Head Start’s 32 years of service.  Pine Belt Head Start continues to collaborate and partner with entities in the various communities to maximize the delivery of service to families.

Pine Belt Head Start (PBHS) serves four parish areas with a total of 386 children receiving high-quality services. Each parish operates a quality center that is Type III (formerly Class “A”) license by the State of Louisiana Department of Social Services, Bureau of Licensing.  PBHS is reviewed and rated according to the Office of Head Start (OHS) Aligned Monitoring System, a five-year grant cycle as orchestrated by the Federal Government’s Performance Standards.

Pine Belt Head Start exceeds quality expectations in all areas of operations.  The excellence of the program means that the children served are successful in the rest of their educational careers.