NACOG Head Start and Early Head Start
Cottonwood Youth Center, 270 E. Mingus Avenue, Cottonwood, AZ 86326
About
NACOG Head Start and Early Head Start offers comprehensive child development and family support services to economically disadvantaged children and their families. The program includes preschool programs for children three to five years of age and Early Head Start programming for pregnant mothers and children birth to three years of age in select communities throughout the non-reservation portions of northern Arizona.
• Ages: Birth–5 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
NACOG’s Head Start Division provides services that are designed to promote school readiness for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Head Start services prepare children for future success, and preschool skills are taught that promote school readiness. Early Head Start services promote child/adult bonding and instruction to enhance brain development in infants and toddlers.
Head Start has been a part of northern Arizona for over thirty years. The Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) is a group of local governments representing Apache, Coconino, Navajo and Yavapai Counties, and NACOG staff works with local governments to address similar issues faced by the communities within the region. NACOG uses several program options to provide Preschool and Early Head Start services in 28 Northern Arizona communities on behalf of 1613 children, using field management zones and a network of service area partnerships to address extreme rural barriers, extreme weather conditions, and lack of resources.
The program has a service area of 27,000 square miles and includes the four counties of Apache, Navajo, Coconino, and Yavapai. The program serves children zero to five years old who meet the required income guidelines. NACOG addresses the needs of enrolled children and families by using the Head Start Performance Standards and locally designed service delivery systems, and utilizes a comprehensive approach in meeting the needs of enrolled children and providing them the opportunity to begin their school experience on equal footing with their more socially advantaged peers.
Head Start is federally funded through the Congressional Head Start Act and is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The website is supported by Grant Number 09CH011520 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Last updated January 16, 2026.
• Ages: Birth–5 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
NACOG’s Head Start Division provides services that are designed to promote school readiness for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Head Start services prepare children for future success, and preschool skills are taught that promote school readiness. Early Head Start services promote child/adult bonding and instruction to enhance brain development in infants and toddlers.
Head Start has been a part of northern Arizona for over thirty years. The Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) is a group of local governments representing Apache, Coconino, Navajo and Yavapai Counties, and NACOG staff works with local governments to address similar issues faced by the communities within the region. NACOG uses several program options to provide Preschool and Early Head Start services in 28 Northern Arizona communities on behalf of 1613 children, using field management zones and a network of service area partnerships to address extreme rural barriers, extreme weather conditions, and lack of resources.
The program has a service area of 27,000 square miles and includes the four counties of Apache, Navajo, Coconino, and Yavapai. The program serves children zero to five years old who meet the required income guidelines. NACOG addresses the needs of enrolled children and families by using the Head Start Performance Standards and locally designed service delivery systems, and utilizes a comprehensive approach in meeting the needs of enrolled children and providing them the opportunity to begin their school experience on equal footing with their more socially advantaged peers.
Head Start is federally funded through the Congressional Head Start Act and is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The website is supported by Grant Number 09CH011520 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Last updated January 16, 2026.
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