Early Head Start

Early Head Start promises a high-quality program that will:

• Support your baby’s growth and development from birth to age 3
• Value your family’s unique background and strengths
• Support your achievement of personal and family goals
• Encourage healthy parent and baby relationships!

At Early Head Start, we:

• believe a healthy birth is the first important step in a baby’s development
• support parents as the first teachers of their children
• partner with parents to achieve the highest program quality and outcomes for children and families
• believe that all infants and toddlers have the ability to learn and grow!

Early Head Start home-based services include:

• weekly personalized visits in parents’ homes
• twice monthly group learning for children and parents together
• healthy lifestyle promotion
• inclusion of children with disabilities
• family support services and resources
• parent involvement in program decision making

To qualify for our program at no cost to families:

• Mother must be pregnant or have a child birth to age 2;
• Family income cannot exceed the federal poverty guidelines
• Family must reside in Allentown, Bethlehem or Easton.

Early Head Start-center based:

For this Early Head Start program, children must be referred by the Children and Youth departments of Lehigh and Northampton counties. The center-based setting, known as SafeStart, is the region’s only therapeutic classroom program for abused infants and toddlers. Two locations, serving a total of 72 children, provide early intervention for babies and toddlers impacted by drugs and/or alcohol, to help them overcome health problems, developmental delays and emotional trauma.

The program strengthens families to stop the cycle of abuse because research shows that 72 percent of abusive families were involved in the child welfare system when they were children. Along with a special partnership with Lehigh Valley Health Network, SafeStart is supported by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Head Start, Children and Youth departments of Lehigh and Northampton counties and private grants and donations.