The enrollment period continues for the Early Head Start program, aimed at income-eligible parents of infants and toddlers.
Early Head Start helps parents “become their child’s first teacher” with free services from birth to age 3, including weekly in-home visits and parent-child play groups, officials note.
Certified parent educators use home visits to help parents improve their child’s development, including cognitive and language skills, physical, mental and social-emotional health, and motor skills development.
Educators often bring toys and activities to help parents and others play with children, to encourage growth and learning.
Twice a month, parent-child play groups are hosted at local schools, where interaction, shared information and advice are the focus.
Early Head Start, funded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, is part of Educational Service District 112’s early learning initiative.
Locally, it serves eligible families in the Battle Ground, Ridgefield and La Center school districts, and those within enrollment areas of Harney, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt and Washington elementary schools in Vancouver.
Parents can confirm eligibility and enroll in the free program by reaching Early Head Start (at ESD 112) at: 360-750-7500, ext. 342.
Wednesday, the program will hold two outdoor “socialization” events open to community members.
Staff members will explain the program and lead children’s events. They are: 10 a.m. to noon, Kiwanis Park, 422 S.W. Second Ave., Battle Ground; 2 to 4 p.m., Bagley Park, 4607 Plomondon St., next to the Jim Parsley Community Center, Vancouver.
