Early Head Start is a federally funded community based program for low income families with infants and toddlers and pregnant moms. It's mission is simple: to promote healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant moms, enhance the development of very young children and promote healthy family functioning. Early Head Start programs are based on a foundation of nine principles.
Early Head Start evolved out of Head Start's long history of providing services to infants and toddlers. To help design the new initiative, the Secretary of Health and Human Services formed the Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers in 1994. The committee set forth the vision and goals for Early Head Start that have been shaped by lessons learned from comprehensive child development programs, parent and child centers, migrant head start programs, locally designed Head Start programs and other early child development and family support efforts serving families with very young children.
Head Start staff members offer your child love, acceptance, understanding and the opportunity to learn and to experience success. Head Start children socialize with others, solve problems and have experiences which help them to become self-confident. The children also improve their listening and speaking skills. The children spend time in stimulating settings where they form good habits and enjoy playing with toys and working on tasks with classmates. Your child will leave Head Start more prepared for kindergarten, excited about learning and ready to succeed.
Education - Infants and toddlers are exposed to many social and emotional experiences in the classroom. These experiences include small and large motor activities, learning, trust and sensory activities using the creative curriculum. Home visits and PTC are incorporated into education and family development.
Health - Each child receives a comprehensive health screen, physical and dental examination. Appropriate follow-up is monitored as needed.
Nutrition - Children start eating table foods at 12 months. Formula and baby food is provided from birth to 12 months.
Developmental Screening - The ASQ and ASQ-SE are used to determine the social and developmental level of each infant and toddler.
Prenatal & Postpartum - Weekly home visits are performed during pregnancy. A curriculum is taught until delivery. No more than two weeks after delivery there is another home visit.