Schiff Announces $1.65 Million for Early Head Start Program at the Center for Community and Family Services in Altadena
Friday, November 20, 2009 | Contact: Sean Oblack (202) 225-4176 |
Schiff Announces $1.65 Million for Early Head Start Program at the Center for Community and Family Services in Altadena
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Adam Schiff announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the Center for Community and Family Services in Altadena a $1.65 million grant for its Early Head Start program. The funding is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and it will provide services to infants, toddlers and pregnant women to help ensure children are healthy from the time of birth. “Early Head Start is a proven program that helps ensure children are happy, healthy and ready for school,” said Schiff. “This is an investment in our most precious resource – our next generation." The Center for Community and Family Services through the Early Head Start program will design programs that respond to the strengths and needs of individual families. Its services will include education, in and out of the home; home visits, especially for families with newborns and infants; parent education, including parent-child activities; comprehensive health services, including services to women during and after pregnancy; and ongoing parental support through case management and peer groups. Head Start is a program that provides comprehensive early childhood development services to low-income children and their families. It promotes school readiness and provides a comprehensive array of health, nutritional and social services to eligible four and five year old preschoolers and their families. The program has enrolled more than 25 million children since its inception. The Early Head Start program was established in 1995 for children from birth to three years of age and pregnant women in recognition of scientific evidence that a child’s earliest years are extremely important to healthy development.