Child Start Early Childhood Programs

Child Start Early Childhood Programs offers Head Start Preschool, Early Head Start, Child Care Partnership, State Preschool, General Child Care, and parenting education programs such as Raising-A-Reader and Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). The program serves infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children through a mix of center-based classrooms, home-based visiting options, contracted family child care homes, and private child care centers, and it also administers the national Raising-A-Reader program.

• Ages: 0–5 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Thursday, 7:30AM–4:00PM

Child Start supports the education, social and emotional development of children ages 0–5 by providing comprehensive and family-focused early childhood services in partnership with the community. It provides school readiness and family support services to approximately 1,000 children across Napa and Solano Counties each year and has been providing early childhood education and family development services to approximately 1,000 children annually since 1965. Head Start preschool-age children are served across 20 centers in Napa and Solano Counties, while Early Head Start infants and toddlers are served through both center-based and home-based options. Child Care Partnerships serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers through contracted family child care homes and private child care centers, State Preschool (CSPP) preschoolers are served through a wrap-around model with Head Start services, and General Child Care (CCTR) infants and toddlers are served through a center-based wrap-around model with Early Head Start services.

The Executive Director is Juan Cisneros, and the Deputy Director is Susan Smith. Child Start became the third agency in California to administer the Raising-a-Reader program in 2001, and in 2016 it became one of the first agencies in the country to be funded for Early Head Start–Child Care Partnerships. Child Start works with the Napa Valley Community Foundation, the First 5 Commission of Napa County, and receives support from the Napa County Office of Education, and it implements the Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) parenting education program.

Parents and alumni describe their experiences with Child Start’s programs in several ways. One Head Start alumna, Diana, shared that she was able to be around many friends and that Maestra Irene made a big impact in her life. A Head Start parent, Maria, said that Child Start has been a blessing for her family and that her daughter is now excited to start kindergarten because of the nurturing environment in the Head Start program. An Early Head Start parent, Jessica, described the Early Head Start Home Visiting program as a game changer for her family and said that her home visitor guided her every step of the way as a first-time mom.

Last updated May 13, 2026.