Early Head Start program is in gear
A new grant-funded Early Head Start program began on March 15 that serves pregnant women and children from birth to three. The program is a collaboration between RESA VIII Head Start and Doodlebugs Learning Station.
Early Head Start programs provide early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive child development and family support services year-round, according to a Head Start brochure. The program serves families that are income-eligible.
Morgan County has a total of 30 Early Head Start spaces—12 center-based slots at Doodlebugs and 18 home-based program slots, said Early Head Start coordinator Sharon Hamilton. They are currently fully enrolled, but encourage people to apply for the waiting list.
Home visits
Early Head Start provides up to 18 families with home visits, socialization and support with pre-natal care, healthy habits, post-partum problems and home safety, Head Start Child Development Manager Kathy Ullom said.
The program also has a home-based component that deals with pregnancy health issues, the mother’s dreams for the child and preparing the mother for childbirth, Hamilton said.
After the child is born, within two weeks they visit with a nurse and encourage breastfeeding along with applying for the Women and Infant Care program (WIC). They are also on the lookout for signs of post-partum depression, which is a very real problem, Hamilton said.
They help the family find services, focus on goals and explore activities for the baby.
The baby is enrolled in the Early Head Start program when determined ready, she said. They also do developmental screenings on infants and children up to 36 months in the program.
Group socialization activities for the home-based program children occur at the Great Cacapon Head Start site.
Center-based program
Their center-based Early Head Start program is located at Doodlebugs Learning Station site near Cacapon State Park. The ratio of adults to children in both the toddler and infant rooms is 4 children to one adult, Hamilton said.
Doodlebugs staff work with kids on developmental skills such as crawling, walking, motor skills and language skills and also encourage the child’s interests, Hamilton said. An electronic portfolio is created showing photos and the child’s progress.
Children learn to recognize colors, sing, do problem-solving and learn social skills like how not to push someone down to get a toy, she said. They also learn transitional skills like how to say goodbye to their mom without crying.
Doodlebugs site
Doodlebugs Learning Center has 12 early Head Start slots for infants and toddlers from age six weeks up to age three, said director Jennifer Spinks.
At age three, children can shift into the three-year-old child care program at their center or go into the three year-old expansion class at the Berkeley Springs Head Start Center, she said.
They also have wrap-around care where children can have a half-day morning class at Head Start and come on the bus to the Doodlebugs Oakland Road site for the afternoon, Sphinx said.
Sphinx’s staff has infant and toddlers certifications. They use an online assessment tool to track a child’s development and give parents updates on helping their child meet the next milestone.
Activities
Children have music, arts and crafts, free play, learning center time, family-style meals, naptime and outside play. The Early Head Start program is a full-day program, she said.
Staff does two home visits a year to discuss a child’s progress and activities that parents can do with their child, Sphinx said.
Head Start evaluates children’s language, social and motor skills which allows special needs children to be identified and gets them services earlier, she said.
Head Start also provides professional staff development opportunities that they would not be able to offer, Sphinx said. They are also purchasing some infant and toddler playground equipment for the site.
The collaboration is a win-win for all three partners—Head Start, Doodlebugs and parents, Sphinx said.
Sphinx felt the program was off to a wonderful start. She said she’s had nothing but positive feedback from staff, Head Start coordinators and parents.
For more information
For more information about the RESA VIII Early Head Start program, call Sharon Hamilton at 304-258-3833.
