Child Development

Head Start | Early Head Start | Child Care Partnerships

Head Start

Head Start is an educational child and family development program promoting the well-being of children and families.  Head Start addresses the educational, nutritional, health, social service, and disability needs of preschool age children and their families.

Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by assuring that low-income children have access to comprehensive educational, health, and nutritional programs.  Head Start encourages parental involvement.

Head Start offers:

• Family Education Program
• Child care*
• Health Screenings
• Nutritional Assessments & Counseling
• Social Service Programs
• Individualized Education

*Child care is available during parent meetings.

Head Start Eligibility

Families must:

• Be residents of Westmoreland County
• Have a child between 3-5 years old
• Meet income guidelines

You may qualify if you make less than the 100% column for your family size on the Federal Poverty Guidelines.  Download the guidelines and compare your income to the 100% column.

Head Start Resources

• Resource Directory - This 8 page Community Resource Directory lists many useful organizations and contact information.  Originally compiled by people in the Head Start program, it is a guide frequently used by families in Head Start - though it contains information useful to many families.
  
• Parent Handbook - Parent Handbook for Head Start Parents.

Locations:

Contact us for more information on Westmoreland Community Action's Head Start programs.

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Early Head Start

Early Head Start offers many services to help pregnant women and families with children under age of three meet the medical, physical, emotional and developmental needs of their infant or toddler.

Early Head Start offers:

• Parenting education and support
• Child development assessment
• Developmentally appropriate activities
• Family activities
• Weekly home-based counseling
• Support groups
• Infant/toddler child care*
• Socialization experiences for both parent and child
• Referrals to community resources

*Child care is available during parent meetings.

Early Head Start Eligibility

Families must:

• Be residents of Westmoreland County
• Must be expecting a baby OR have a childe under age 3
• Meet income eligibility requirements OR have a childe with special needs

You may qualify if you make less than the 100% column for your family size on the Federal Poverty Guidelines.  Download the guidelines and compare your income to the 100% column.

Locations

Early Head Start services are provided in the family's home and at various locations in Westmoreland County.

Contact us for more information on Westmoreland Community Action's Early Head Start programs. 

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Child Care Partnership

Where Daycare and Head Start Meet

The Child Care Partnership is designed to work in cooperation with daycare providers to provide Head Start type services to families who choose to remain in their local daycare settings. The program is designed to work with families that could benefit from participation in Head Start.

Participating Daycares:

• Brightside Academy, Jeannette, PA
• KIDDIEU Child Development Center, Greensburg, PA
• Athena Child Development, New Kensington, PA
• Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, Inc. (SPHSI), Monessen, PA
• Greensburg Y.M.C.A., Greensburg, PA
• Ligonier YMCA, Pride of the Y, Ligonier, PA
• Y-Child Care New Kensington, New Kensington, PA
  

Child Care Partnership Eligibility

Families must:

• Be residents of Westmoreland County
• Have a child between 3-5 years old
• Meet income guidelnes

You may qualify if you make less than the 100% column for your family size on the Federal Poverty Guidelines.  Download the guidelines and compare your income to the 100% column.

Contact us for more information on Westmoreland Community Action's Child Care Partnership programs. 

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About Head Start and Early Head Start

Head Start and Early Head Start are supported by private and corporate donations, volunteers, and grants from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Westmoreland County.

Head Start was started in 1964 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty to help meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. Head Start has helped over 22 million pre-school children across the US.  Early Head Start was created in 1995 when studies showed that the earliest years matter a great deal to a child's growth and development.

Contact us for more information on Westmoreland Community Action's Head Start programs. 

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We Provide Services to Residents of Westmoreland County

At Westmoreland Community Action, we provide services to residents in towns and townships throughout Westmoreland County, PA including: Adamsburg, Alverton, Arnold,
Bolivar, Claridge, Crabtree, Delmont, Derry, Donegal, East Vandergrift, Export, Greensburg, Harrison City, Herminie, Irwin, Jeannette, Kecksburg, Latrobe, Ligonier, 
Lower Burrell, Mammoth, Manor, Monessen, Mount Pleasant, Murrysville, New Alexandria, New Florence, New Kensington, New Stanton, North Belle Vernon, Norvelt, Scottdale,
Smithton, South Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg, Stahlstown, Trafford, Vandergrift, 
West Newton, Youngstown, and Youngwood.

Townships in Westmoreland County include:

Allegheny Township, Bell Township, Cook Township, Derry Township, Donegal Township,
East Huntingdon Township, Fairfield Township, Hempfield Township, Ligonier Township,
Lower Burrell Township, Loyalhanna Township, Mount Pleasant Township, Murrysville Township, North Huntingdon Township, Penn Township, Rostraver Township, Saint Clair Township, Salem Township, Sewickley Township, South Huntingdon Township, Upper Burrell Township, Unity Township, and Washington Township

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