When designating October as National Head Start Awareness month, President Ronald Regan noted that these programs truly provide young children with a “head start” in life. These words are still true today and our youngest children and their families need this support now, more than ever. Sadly, only 11% of eligible children under 3 had access to Early Head Start services in Utah in 2020. We must, as a community, invest in these children and expand access to Early Head Start services.
Early Head Start began in 1994 as a two-generation program to enhance children’s development and health from prenatal to age three, strengthen family and community partnerships, and support the staff delivering new services to eligible families with pregnant women, infants, or toddlers. Early Head Start is an investment that helps all students be ready for school. Its programs ensure children receive vision, hearing, and other health screenings and referrals; require degrees and credentials for teaching staff; and mandate professional development and coaching for lead and assistant teachers. Early Head Start students are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, and receive a post-secondary degree, license, or certification.
Families are eligible for Early Head Start services based on income, housing status, participation in the foster-child program, or having children with identified high needs (typically disabled). There are numerous eligible children in Summit County who would benefit tremendously from access to these proven programs. Each year, approximately 403 children are born in Summit County, and an average of 73 of these children are born to families using Medicaid.
In Summit County in 2017, only 76.7% of pregnant women received prenatal care, meaning that roughly 100 pregnant women go without prenatal care each year in Summit County. Almost one out of every five children in the Park City School District qualify for free or reduced lunch. Just think what a difference it would make if all of these eligible families in our community benefited from Early Head Start services.
Holy Cross Ministries and PC Tots have collaborated with Davis School District Early Head Start Program (the grantee for Summit County) to request expansion funding to provide Early Head Start services for 20 home-visiting slots and 16 center-based childcare slots here in Summit County. They hope to hear by early 2021 whether they were awarded these highly-competitive Early Head Start expansion funds.
Even if these federal funds are awarded to serve these families in Summit County, more needs to be done. State, county, and municipal funds should enhance these services by funding additional slots. Currently, fourteen states invest in this ready-built solution to expand access to Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Utah, Summit County, and Park City municipal should follow their lead.
Every child deserves an opportunity to succeed. Let’s make sure that they all get the “head start” they need by asking our elected representatives at every level to invest in proven programs that support the earliest years. Instead of just being “aware” of Early Head Start this month, let’s invest in it instead.