There is also something called “Early Intervention” which, for very young children, is run by the state. It transitions to the local school district at age 2.5. As the name would suggest, it’s targeted to kids who might need a little extra help meeting milestones. If your doctor is talking about Headstart (which is a federal program from the 1960s aimed at socioeconomically disadvantaged kids), it’s possible they really meant EI (early intervention). Kids qualify for EI based on all kinds of things — from physical disabilities to social/ emotional circumstances which have left them a little behind the curve. You will need to actually call the school department in your town to find out about this, if this is what you mean. My own kids both went through the EI program, but only one still needed it at the age where the towns take over from the state. We had to call the director of EI for the town, get assessed, etc.

Here’s a list of where to look for every town in the Commonwealth.

https://www.massfamilyties.org/early-intervention-programs-throughout-the-commonwealth/#CatchArea4