Name of program: Early Head Start

What is the program’s goal? Early Head Start is a program offering comprehensive child development and social support services. Our two program options are childcare and home visitation services.

When was the program established at EOC? Early Head Start began at EOC with the award of a “Wave 2” grant in the fall of 1996. Following a period of start-up activity, the first employees were hired in mid-summer of 1997, with services to families beginning in the fall of 1997.

Who do you help (client base)? Our client base is low-income pregnant women and low-income families with infants and toddlers.

What are the eligibility requirements: Families must be low-income and must have an infant, toddler, or pregnant women to qualify for services. It is possible for a family to receive services from conception, until the child turns three, and then the family receives support as they apply to transition to Head Start or to other community services.

How many clients do you serve monthly/annually? Early Head Start serves 35 infants/toddlers in childcare and 128 infants, toddlers, and/or pregnant women in our home visitation program. In our last annual reporting cycle, we had served 379 individuals during the course of the year.

Who is the current program manager? Kathleen Shivaprasad is currently the Program Director.

How many employees work the program? 41 staff members are employed.

Where is your office / are your offices located: The Central Office for Early Head Start, Fresno City Urban home visitation staff, and Exceptional Parents Unlimited home visitation staff is located at 1920 Mariposa Mall, Suite 130 in downtown Fresno, 93721. Telephone: 263-1550.

Other sites and addresses include:
Early Head Start Sanger/Reedley
1705 10th Street
Sanger, CA 93657
(on the campus of Washington Area Middle School)
or
1220 E. Washington
Reedley, CA 93654
(on the campus of Jefferson Elementary School)
Early Head Start Child Development Center
1441 Divisadero
Fresno, CA 93721

Early Head Start at Exceptional Parents Unlimited
(Offices located in main office listed above)
Socialization Room
4440 N. First Street
Fresno, CA 93726

Early Head Start Mt. Carmel
1189 Martin St.
Fresno, CA 93706

Jane Addams Early Head Star
Child Development Center
2117 West McKinley
Fresno, CA 93728

Tell us about one of your “success stories”. An Early Head Start success story that is repeated in our program each year is the fact that through our program’s implementation of developmental screening and assessment we identify children who are in need of Early Intervention and help the families to make connections to receive the services for their child. Last year alone we identified 12 infants who subsequently received services. One of our biggest sources of pride is on those occasions in which a child previously considered “at risk” for developmental delay is found to have “no delays” at the time of their third birthday. Then we know that we have made a difference.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your program? Early Head Start is a relationships based program. We foster positive parent/child relationships through promotion of healthy prenatal outcomes, by supporting attachment and bonding, by enriching early development and by connecting families to social support services, as needed.