COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP OF MID-NEBRASKA, a Head Start Program of KEARNEY, NE

114 East 11th Street
KEARNEY NE NE

(308) 865-5680

Early Head Start, a program for pregnant women, infants and toddlers, was initiated in response to the changing needs of low-income families and to research indicating how critical the period from birth to age three is to a child's healthy growth and development. In 1994, the Secretary of Health and Human Services formed an Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers to design EHS. EHS evolved out of Head Start's long history of providing services to infants and toddlers and family support efforts serving families with very young children. Beginning in 1995, sixty-eight Early Head Start programs were funded to serve more than 5,000 pregnant women and families with children under age three.

Children who are 3 to 5 years old are eligible for Head Start services. Pregnant women and children from birth to 3 years of age are eligible for Early Head Start services. Children and families who are homeless, in foster care, or receive TANF or SSI are also eligible for services. Eligibility is determined by Head Start program staff and some families may be eligible for services if they are determined to be at or below the federal poverty level. Some grantees enroll a percentage of children from families with incomes above the Poverty Guidelines as well.

Families are encouraged to apply.

How do I enroll my child into the Head Start/Early Head Start Program? In order for your child to be eligible for the Head Start program, you must first meet the income and age guidelines. Income guidelines are established by the Department of Health and Human Service each year and are classified by the number of family members. The Head Start/Early Head Start Performance Standards define family members as all persons living in the same household who are: supported by the income of the parent(s) or guardians(s) of the child enrolling or participating in the program, and related to the parent(s) or guardians(s) by blood, marriage, or adoption. Up to ten percent of Head Start/Early Head Start's enrollment can be over the poverty guidelines; however precedence is given to those that are income qualified first. If a child has been found income eligible and is participating in a Early Head Start program, he or she remains income eligible throughout that enrollment in Early Head Start, the

• Early Head Start Center
  601A Central Ave, Kearney NE
  (308) 865-5026