Urban League of Greater New Orleans Early Head Start (ULGNO EHS) is a federally funded community-based program for low-income families with infants and toddlers and pregnant women. We have served the Greater New Orleans community since 1998.
The mission of Early Head Start is simple: to promote healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant women, enhance the development of very young children, and promote healthy family functioning. EHS evolved out of Head Start's long history of providing services to infants and toddlers through Parent Child Centers.
The program helps children develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. It provides parent education and services such as home visits, comprehensive health services, nutrition, and peer support groups for parents. Early Head Start projects coordinate with local Head Start programs so that children have a continuity of services as they grow older. Our program is currently serving 20 families with children between the ages of 0 – 3 years.
What are the components of an Early Head Start program?
Early Head Start takes a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of young children. There are four major components to Early Head Start:
Education: Providing a variety of learning experiences to help children grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally.
Health: Providing health services such as immunizations, dental, medical, and mental health, and nutritional services, and early identification of health problems.
Parent Involvement: Involving parents in the planning and implementation of activities. Parents serve on policy councils and committees that make administrative decisions; participate in classes and workshops on child development; and volunteer in the program.
Social Services: Provide outreach to families to determine what services they need.
Disabilities
In recognition of the value and worth of all children, Early Head Start (EHS) requires inclusion of children with disabilities. The Head Start Program Performance Standards require that at least 10 percent of the total number of enrollment opportunities be made available to children with disabilities. Children with disabilities are defined as those children who are eligible for services under State regulations governing Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is a Federal law that is implemented at the State and local levels to provide screening, assessment, and, for eligible children, early intervention services based on Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP).
