Economic Opportunities Council (EOC) is awarded Early Head Start grant from Dept. of Health and Human Services
The Economic Opportunities Council (EOC) of Indian River has been awarded an Early Head Start grant to support the vital needs of 40 pregnant women, infants, and toddlers in Indian River County. This grant will enable EOC to provide comprehensive services that promote healthy development and enhance the educational experiences of young children and their families.
“For many years, our community has demonstrated a great need for the Early Head Start Program to serve infants and pregnant mothers. EOC has been applying for this program for more than a decade!” explains Angela Davis-Green, the Executive Director of Economic Opportunities Council of Indian River. “We are truly honored to now be awarded this crucial grant from the Department of Health & Human Services. EOC is partnering with local agencies, such as Healthy Start, to ensure the pregnant mothers and infants receive all the resources available within our generous community.”
Early Head Start has a proven track record of success, with studies showing that children who participate in the program demonstrate higher levels of school readiness and educational achievement. Statistics highlight that, compared to a peer control group, at the end of the program, 3-year-old Early Head Start (EHS) children:
- Performed significantly better in cognitive and language development
- Performed better on social and emotional development measures.
- Were lower in aggressive behavior.
- At age 5 had “better attention and approaches toward learning, as well as fewer behavior problems”
The parents of the 3-year-old Early Head Start students:
- Were more emotionally supportive
- Provided more language and learning stimulation
- Read to their children more
- Spanked less.
Two years after the end of the program, prior to children entering kindergarten, positive impacts of EHS remained in areas of children’s social and emotional development, parenting, and parent well-being. Furthermore, those children who experienced EHS followed by formal early childhood education experiences (e.g., center-based childcare, Head Start, or state pre-kindergarten) tended to have the best overall outcomes at the start of school.
The Early Head Start program focuses on a two-generation approach, providing not only early childhood education but also support for expectant mothers, ensuring a strong foundation for families during their critical early years. Our dedicated team will offer resources, classes, and personalized support tailored to meet the unique needs of each family.
EOC is excited to inform the community that applications are now being accepted for classes beginning in January. We encourage eligible families to apply and take advantage of this opportunity for early childhood education and comprehensive support services.
For more information about the Early Head Start program and how to apply, please visit our website at https://eocofirc.net/pre-application/ or contact our office at 772-562-4177.
Together, we can empower families and enhance the well-being of our youngest community members, ensuring they have the best start possible in life.
About Economic Opportunities Council of Indian River
The Economic Opportunities Council (EOC) is committed to strengthening families and communities through comprehensive services, advocacy, and support. Our mission is to alleviate poverty and promote self-sufficiency among residents in our service area. Since 1965, the Economic Opportunities Council (EOC) has been the leader in community action in Indian River County. Recognizing that lasting change is not created in a vacuum, EOC’s role includes coordinating and facilitating community partnerships whereby collective resources are used wisely and services are not duplicated among clients. It takes all of us working together and focused on the goal before us: transitioning individuals and families from poverty to self-sufficiency. When accomplishing that goal in a meaningful way, we are truly helping people and changing lives.
EOC has a 59-year, successful track record of providing high-quality programs and services to low-income children and families. EOC has administered Head Start in Indian
River County since 1966 and in Okeechobee County since 1995. Our centers are National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredited.
EOC has prepared approximately 16,000 students for kindergarten. EOC’s other programs provide emergency financial assistance, education and vocational training opportunities, individual/family case management, money management, and help move clients away from public assistance towards self-sufficiency. EOC received the United Way’s Agency Excellence Award in 2018.
About Early Head Start & Head Start
Head Start programs prepare America’s most vulnerable young children to succeed in school and in life beyond school. To achieve this, Head Start programs deliver services to children and families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners every step of the way.
Early Head Start (EHS) programs serve infants and toddlers under the age of 3, and pregnant women. EHS programs provide intensive comprehensive child development and family support services to low-income infants and toddlers and their families, and to pregnant women and their families. All EHS programs serve families through the program option that best meets their needs, using data collected from their community assessment and conversations with families.
EHS programs are designed to nurture healthy attachments between parent and child (and child and caregiver). Services encompass the full range of a family’s needs from pregnancy through a child’s third birthday.
The Head Start program encompasses Head Start preschool programs, which primarily serve 3- and 4-year-old children, and Early Head Start programs for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. Head Start programs operate in every state, many tribal nations, and several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. Head Start services are delivered nationwide through 1,600 agencies that tailor the federal program to the local needs of families in their service area.
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