Early Head Start

Early Head Start is a federally funded community-based program for low-income families with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers up to age 3. It is a program that came out of Head Start.[1] The program was designed in 1994 by an Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers formed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.[1] "In addition to providing or linking families with needed services—medical, mental health, nutrition, and education—Early Head Start can provide a place for children to experience consistent, nurturing relationships and stable, ongoing routines."[2]

Early Head Start offers three different options and programs may offer one or more to families. The three options are: a home-based option, a center-based option, or a combination option in which families get a set number of home visits and a set number of center-based experiences, There are also locally designed options, which in some communities include family child care.[3]

  • Tri-Counties Regional Center is one of twenty-one non-profit regional centers in California providing lifelong services and supports for people with developmental disabilities residing in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. [4]
  • Babies develop at different rates and in different ways. Every baby is unique. If you or your doctor suspect that your baby’s development is delayed, help is available through California’s Early Start Program. You may refer your child at any time.[5]
  • Early Start is California’s response to federal legislation ensuring that services to eligible infants and toddlers are coordinated and family-centered. It is a statewide system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months of age. This program is coordinated by regional centers and public school districts. [6]
  • Each eligible child will be assigned a Service Coordinator who will be responsible for the coordination of early intervention services. Eligible children and their families may receive a variety of early intervention services. Services for young children are family-centered, based on family concerns, priorities and resources, and provided in a child’s natural setting. Services may include, but are not limited to:
    • Infant stimulation (specialized instruction) in your home or community
    • Physical, occupational and/or speech/language therapy
    • Behavior services
    • Family Resource Centers for parent-to-parent support[7]
  1. ^ a b Early Head Start National Resource Center. 1 December 2011.
  2. ^ "Technical Assistance Paper no. 9, "Supporting Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System: The Hope of Early Head Start" (PDF). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2005. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. ^ United States Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) Study, 1996–2010: [United States] [Computer file]. ICPSR03804-v5. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011-09-22. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03804.v5
  4. ^ "who we are". Tri-counties.org.
  5. ^ "Early Start Services".
  6. ^ "Early Start Services".
  7. ^ "Services in the Early Start Program". 22 December 2017.