A new paper by CLASP outlines what state leaders need to know about Early Head Start. Here’s an overview about the publication from the CLASPwebsite.
Early Head Start (EHS) is a federally-funded, community-based program that provides comprehensive child and family development services to low-income pregnant women and families with children under the age of 3. Although EHS is a federal-to-local program, there are opportunities for collaboration at the state level that have expanded in recent years. For example:
- State leaders may consider how key program elements of EHS relate to state activities and initiatives, such as child care licensing regulations, quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), and early learning standards.
- States may wish to explore ways to better integrate EHS with other state early childhood programs, for example, through initiating joint professional development opportunities that meet the needs of EHS providers as well as child care providers.
- State child care subsidy policies, if designed well, can promote partnerships between child care and EHS programs.
- The State Early Childhood Advisory Councils offer an opportunity to bring EHS together with other state and federal services to build strong early childhood systems built around substantial supports for vulnerable young children.
State leaders can seize opportunities such as these to break down silos and create collaborative state systems and programs to better meet the needs of vulnerable young children in their states. CLASP has released a new paper, What State Leaders Should Know about Early Head Start, which reviews 11 key aspects of how the EHS program works. Each section includes considerations for state leaders, such as how other state systems relate to a particular aspect of EHS, or what types of policy changes and partnerships states could consider to coordinate and leverage EHS resources with other state programs. Each section concludes with links to related online resources. This paper is not designed to provide official guidance or interpretation of the laws and regulations governing EHS, but to serve as an introduction to the program for state policymakers.