Special to Clay Today
ORANGE PARK – Early Head Start, a program that works with prenatal mothers and families with young children to promote positive growth, will now be available in Clay County, according to Episcopal Children’s Services.
The agency says it has received $3.7 million federal grant to offer the services in Duval, Clay and Baker counties. The award will make it possible to serve a total of 212 infants, toddlers and pregnant women.
Early Head Start promotes healthy prenatal outcomes, enhances the development of infants and toddlers, and promotes healthy family functioning. The grant will allow ECS to directly serve the youngest and neediest of children with a holistic approach that involves the entire family, said Connie Stophel, CEO of ECS.
“We know that starting early with children makes a difference in their later success in life; with these new Federal Head Start dollars, we will be able to make an even bigger impact in these counties,” Stophel said.
ECS will open new Early Head Start sites in Duval County and will serve additional children in the current ECS-run Early Head Start and Head Start sites in Baker and Clay Counties. Home visitors will provide services to families in their homes in April. with center-based care beginning in June for Clay County.
Episcopal Children’s Services is the largest not for profit child focused organization serving children from birth to age 5 in Northeast Florida. Last year ECS provided services to over 27,000 children in Duval, Clay, Nassau, Baker, Bradford, Union, St. Johns, and Putnam counties.
Go online to www.ecs4kids.org or call (904) 726-1500 for details.