Child Care Partnerships

BENEFITS OF PARTNERING
               WITH EARLY HEAD START (EHS)

• CDA training and certification as well as in-service trainings at no cost.
• Recruitment and enrollments completed by an EHS Family Advocate.
• Support network of EHS staff including an Area Supervisor, Education Specialist, Early Intervention Specialist, Family and Community Partnership Specialist, Nurse, Mental Health Counselors, and others.
• Opportunities to network with other EHS Partners and Centers.
• Funds for program improvement, including a yearly consumable budget and monthly classroom budget if In-Kind* goals are met.

*Examples of In-Kind: Donated materials for use in the classroom, volunteer time from families and community members.

Improving the Quality of Child Care in the Ozarks

Nationally, Early Head Start was launched in 1995 to provide comprehensive child and family development services for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers ages birth to three years.  Early Head Star (EHS) programs were established to provide early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive child development and family support services on a year-round basis.  The purpose of the program is to enhance children's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development; to support parents' efforts to fulfill their parental roles; and to help parent move toward self-sufficiency.

Locally, OACAC strives to uphold the EHS vision in many ways: We ensure the teachers in our classrooms are qualified to provide excellent care by requiring that all EHS teachers (in our centers and partnerships) have, at minimum, an Infant/Toddler CDA credential or its equivalent at the time of hire or within one year.

We strive to build strong relationships with the families we serve through family nights and regular home visits.  We respect the parents' role as their child's first and most influential teacher, and we work with them to set developmentally appropriate goals for their children.

Finally, we take special care to ensure that the children in our program are cared for as individuals.  We require weekly observations of each child's development along with quarterly developmental assessment reports.  The information our teachers gather through observation and assessments is used to plan for each child's care and learning individually.

For more information, contact Kimberly Shinn-Brown at kshinnbrown@oacac-caa.org.
Click here for brochure with additional information 
Click here for a tip sheet on Considerations for Becoming an Early Head Start Family Care Provider.