Minnesota provides supplemental state funding to existing federal Head Start and Early Head Start (EHS) grantees to increase their capacity to serve additional infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. The initiative was started in 1997 when the state legislature earmarked $1 million of the general state Head Start supplemental funds for children birth to age 3. Although this earmark was removed from state statute in 2003, the Minnesota Department of Education allows programs to use the general Head Start supplemental funds to provide EHS services. All participating grantees must meet the federal Head Start Program Performance Standards.