What Is Early Head Start?

Early Head Start (EHS) serves pregnant women and children birth to 5, providing guidance, information and direct services to foster healthy development of children and their families during children's most formative years.

Today 600 EHS programs serve approximately 45,000 low-income families. Early Head Start:

Teaches families healthy parenting skills.



Assesses children for appropriate physical, social and emotional development.



Provides referrals to appropriate health care and social welfare providers.



Identifies resources in areas such as job training, medical/dental care, family counseling.

Results from a rigorous national evaluation show:

Early Head Start children, age 2, scored higher on infant cognitive development than other children.



Parents of EHS 2-year-olds read to their children more and were more likely to stimulate cognitive and language development.



EHS mothers were less likely to use corporal punishment to discipline children.



EHS also partners with existing childcare providers, to provide guidance and professional training to help caregivers meet Head Start Performance Standards, thereby improving the quality of care for thousands of additional children in Missouri.