Facts on Head Start in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Head Start is a federally-funded comprehensive preschool program for children from low-income families. In Pennsylvania, the program is offered through a network of nearly 600 centers, operated by a variety of local non-profit agencies, including public school systems. In 1998-99, 27,770 three- and four-year-old children participated in Head Start in Pennsylvania*. About 1200 infants and toddlers were served through the new Early Head Start program.
Head Start provides a high quality, developmentally appropriate education program to children and their families. In addition, the program ensures that children receive needed medical services, including age-appropriate screening and immunizations, dental check-ups and needed dental care, nutrition and social services. A family service plan is developed each year to help identify goals that will improve the ability of the family to meet their needs. Often, this involves making connections to education, training or employment. Home visits are employed to ensure that Head Start staff is more fully aware of the family needs and relevant issues. Parent involvement is a key element of Head Start—parents participate in every aspect of the program, including program governance. More than 32,000 parents and former parents volunteered time in the program in 1998-99.
Recent research on the importance of brain development that occurs in the first three years argues that Head Start or Head Start-like services could play an important role in helping low-income children to succeed in later life, and avoid costly, less successful interventions in later life. The 1994 Amendments to the Head Start Act recognized this need and authorized establishment of Early Head Start programs to extend the same comprehensive services to younger children and their families.
SOURCE: http://www.paheadstart.org/factsonheadstart.html
| Size
of Family Unit | 48
Contiguous States and D.C. | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $ 8,860 | $11,080 | $10,200 |
| 2 | 11,940 | 14,930 | 13,740 |
| 3 | 15,020 | 18,780 | 17,280 |
| 4 | 18,100 | 22,630 | 20,820 |
| 5 | 21,180 | 26,480 | 24,360 |
| 6 | 24,260 | 30,330 | 27,900 |
| 7 | 27,340 | 34,180 | 31,440 |
| 8 | 30,420 | 38,030 | 34,980 |
| For
each additional person, add | 3,080 | 3,850 | 3,540 |
SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 67, No. 31, February 14, 2002, pp. 6931-6933.
Community Action Southwest EHS
315 East Hallam Avenue
Washington, PA 15301
Phone: (724) 222-9100
Fax: (724) 228-4303
Doug Kovach, Director
