SIU celebrates the grand opening of the new Head Start Murphysboro Center, (Photo by Jaclyn Durcholz)
January 12, 2026
Grand opening celebrates new SIU Head Start Murphysboro Center
A grand opening and open house on Jan. 8 gave families and the community an opportunity to celebrate the new SIU Head Start center and playground in Murphysboro.
The Murphysboro Center moved to its new location at 223 S. 13th St. this summer, and playground equipment was recently installed. The Murphysboro Center was previously located in McElvain School and shared space with two other preschool programs.
“We made the decision to move to our own stand-alone site in order to best meet the needs of the children and families in the community,” said Laura Lindsey, SIU Carbondale Head Start interim executive director. “The families and children are very excited for the move. The new site is more accessible to families and ensures that we can have strong relationships with our families and the community as a whole.”
The Murphysboro Center provides full- and half-day services to families in Murphysboro and the surrounding area and currently serves 66 children.
SIU’s federally funded Head Start program serves up to 290 children among its centers in Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville and Marion. It provides comprehensive child development and family support services to children ages 3 to 5 from qualifying families who live in Jackson and Williamson counties.
SIU Head Start is still enrolling students for this year at all four locations, Lindsey said. More information is available at 618-453-6448 or headstart@siu.edu.