Being enrolled with Capital Area Head Start is often a family’s first experience of a trauma-informed culture, making it an important opportunity to help every family feel welcomed, valued, and supported. What sets us apart is that our trauma-informed care honors each family’s culture, language, and structure.
We create warm, inclusive spaces where staff treat all families with respect and care. They can also share helpful resources about trauma, its impact on children and families, resilience, and healing. By taking a genuine interest in each family’s culture, language, strengths, values, hopes, interests, concerns, and needs, staff can build trusting relationships and help families feel a true sense of belonging.
Capital Area Head Start
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Capital Area Head Start gives children a head start in life and strengthens families. In our school year program, children attend school five days a week.
Capital Area Head Start gives children a head start in life, empowers parents, and strengthens families. Capital Area Head Start began providing Head Start services to children and families in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry Counties in 1988. Capital Area Head Start is a comprehensive, federally-funded child development program and serves over 1200 families in the tri-county area. Children may ente
08/05/2026
National Night Out 2026 was a blast! 🎉 Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make the evening so special. We're already looking forward to doing it all again next year!
08/04/2026
Join Capital Area Head Start at National Night Out TONIGHT!
Bring the whole family and connect with your community during National Night Out, featuring neighborhood block parties, local police meet-and-greets, family safety activities, and more!
Plus, you may even get the chance to meet a Susquehanna Service Dog!
📍 Find us at one of these locations:
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center (2300 N Cameron St, Harrisburg, PA 17110) 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Newport Square (Market & 2nd Streets, Newport, PA 17074) 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Willow Park (24 Senate Ave, Camp Hill, PA 17011) 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Carlisle Expo Center (100 K St, Carlisle, PA 17013) 6:00pm to 8:00pm
We can't wait to see you there as we celebrate community, safety, and family fun!
Capital Area Head Start staff seek to understand what young dual language learners need to thrive in Head Start classrooms and beyond.
Our classrooms offer books and learning tools in multiple languages, along with research-based strategies that build on children’s native languages to support English proficiency.
Staff provide intentional language support to families while considering their cultural backgrounds.
Online applications and communications are designed to reduce language barriers for families in Dauphin, Perry, and Cumberland counties.
Enroll today or share!
07/29/2026
Capital Area Head Start will be attending National Night Out on
Tuesday, August 4, 2026, featuring neighborhood block parties, local police meet-and-greets, and family safety events. You can learn more about the nationwide campaign at https://natw.org/
Bring the whole family, you may even meet a Susquehanna Service Dog!
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center (2300 N Cameron St, Harrisburg, PA 17110) 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Newport Square (Market & 2nd Streets, Newport, PA 17074) 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Willow Park (24 Senate Ave, Camp Hill, PA 17011) 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Carlisle Expo Center (100 K St, Carlisle, PA 17013) 6:00pm to 8:00pm
07/27/2026
It takes a community to raise a child, and at Capital Area Head Start, we're here to support the entire family.
Our commitment goes beyond the classroom. We provide health and nutrition screenings, behavioral and developmental supports, language and translation assistance, family engagement opportunities, and resources that help children and families succeed together.
Programs like Take 5 encourage families to spend a few meaningful minutes learning, creating, and connecting with their child at drop-off, helping strengthen the partnership between home and school.
When families are supported, children thrive.
📍 Proudly serving families in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties.
📢 Now enrolling! Learn more and apply today:
https://www.khs.org/what-we-do/head-start-services/enroll/
07/24/2026
Let’s play the Head Start way!
Learning can be fun with play-based activities! Children build skills as they imagine, create, and test, and implement their ideas.
Capital Area Head Start is now enrolling for the 2026-2027 school year in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties!
Let’s Go! Let’s Enroll!
https://www.khs.org/what-we-do/head-start-services/enroll/
The 2026-2027 School Year is here!
If you live in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties enroll with Capital Area Head Start!
Enroll today by doing any one of the following:
Call 717-541-1795
Use the online application, available in English and Spanish
Complete the online form to have one of our enrollment specialists contact you within 2 business days.
https://www.khs.org/what-we-do/head-start-services/enroll/
Please note that these options are just the first step toward enrollment. Taking any of these steps does not mean you or your child is enrolled for the school year.
Head Start programs are available at no cost to children ages birth to 5 from low-income families.
07/01/2026
As south-central Pennsylvania prepares for dangerously high heats over the next few days, a number of locations across the region have opened their doors to anyone looking to escape the heat.
Dauphin County:
B’nai B’rith Senior Center
130 S. 3rd Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
Phone: (717) 232-7516
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Heinz-Menaker Senior Center
1824 N. 4th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102
Phone: (717) 238-7860
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Friendship Senior Center
5000 Commons Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112
Phone: (717) 657-1547
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Lykens Ballroom Senior Center
200 W. Main Street, Lykens, PA 17048
Phone: (717) 453-8350
Hours: Monday and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Millersburg Senior Center
109 Edward Drive, Millersburg, PA 17061
Phone: (717) 692-2657
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Leader Center for Active Life
605 Cocoa Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: (717) 533-2002
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Cumberland County
Branch Creek Place Senior Center 115 North Fayette Street, Shippensburg, PA 17257 📞 717-300-3563
Big Spring Senior Center 91 Doubling Gap Road, Suite 1, Newville, PA 17241 📞 717-776-4478
Carlisle Senior Action Center 20 East Pomfret Street, Carlisle, PA 17013 📞 717-249-5007
Mechanicsburg Place Senior Center 97 West Portland Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 📞 717-697-5947
Mary C. Schaner Senior Center 98 South Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025 📞 717-732-3915
West Shore Senior Center 122 Geary Avenue, New Cumberland, PA 17070 📞 717-774-0409
PERRY COUNTY
Perry County Public Library 221 N. 5th Street, Newport, PA 17074 📞 (717) 567-7023 🕘 Mon–Thu: 10 AM–8 PM | Fri–Sat: 10 AM–5 PM
Perry County Area Agency on Aging 315 Keystone Way, New Bloomfield, PA 17068 📞 (717) 582-5128 Offers senior services and may provide access to cooling spaces during heat advisories.
Newport Senior Center 302 Market Street, Newport, PA 17074 📞 (717) 567-3800 🕘 Mon–Fri: 8 AM–3 PM
Duncannon Senior Center 27 N. High Street, Duncannon, PA 17020 📞 (717) 834-4777 🕘 Mon–Fri: 8 AM–3 PM
Marysville-Rye Library
198 Overcrest Road, Marysville, PA 17053 📞 (717) 957-2851 🕘 Mon–Thu: 10 AM–8 PM | Fri–Sat: 10 AM–5 PM
Join the Capital Area Head Start team! We’re looking for an Early Head Start Family Educator to make a difference in children’s lives, empower parents, and strengthen families.
Early Head Start Family Educators work a full time, flexible schedule, working with 10-12 diverse families. The ability to speak more than one language is a plus. Family Educators work independently but are a valuable part of the larger team.
This is a great position for anyone interested in social and family work!
Benefits include:
• Tuition reimbursement (per eligibility guidelines)
• Medical, dental, vision
• Paid time off
• 401K
• Extensive training and learning opportunities
• Career development and advancement
• Health and wellness programs
Apply today! https://keystonehumanservices.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/KHS_Careers/details/Head-Start--Family-Educator_R22724?q=family%20educator
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Location
Address
8182 Adams Drive
Harrisburg, PA
17036