Premier Early Education Program Expands
Lehigh Valley, PA – The federal Head Start agency recently approved Community Services for Children (CSC) to expand the number of children and families enrolled in Early Head Start from 99 to 177. Early Head Start is a home-based program for extremely poor families – no more than $21,000 approximately for a family of four. Ideally the child is enrolled prenatally to promote a healthy birth and remains enrolled until age 3, when he is eligible for Head Start preschool.
Early Head Start provides comprehensive prenatal, child development and health services, disability and mental health services, family involvement and support services. The program provides weekly home visits at two hours each for 48 weeks a year and 24 group socialization experiences annually.
CSC estimates that even with the expansion, funding permits enrollment of less that 6% of eligible families. Children ages zero to three make up 55% of children under age 6 living in poverty in the Lehigh Valley (estimated at 6564 children). Almost half reside in Allentown.
Research indicates the following:
All children must start school prepared in all the areas of learning – socially, emotionally, physically, as well as cognitively, including their pre-reading and language skills. Children from low-income families, however, frequently are at a disadvantage, as the research above indicates. Starting as early as possible leads to the greatest likelihood of children entering school ready to succeed.
CSC has provided Early Head Start since 1997. Head Start of the Lehigh Valley, a free program for disadvantaged preschool-age children and families, began in 1965. The Early Head Start expansion represents a shift in dollars from CSC’s Head Start preschool program to Early Head Start while continuing to enroll the same number of preschoolers (982).