Latest news with #EarlyHeadStart
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lutheran Services Florida steps aside from leading Head Start in Duval County amid federal rebid
Big changes are on the horizon for early childhood education in Duval County, as Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) will no longer lead the region's Head Start program. The federal Office of Head Start has notified LSF that it plans to begin negotiations with a different provider for the role. LSF has led the Duval County Head Start program for over a decade, serving between 1,000 and 1,400 children annually with early education, family support, and wraparound services. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Despite this long-standing presence, LSF officials said the decision to transition program leadership is not due to performance concerns. 'This decision has nothing to do with performance,' said Maria McNair, director of the LSF Head Start program. 'It's part of a standard federal rebid process designed to ensure continued program quality.' The rebid process, required periodically by the federal government, opens up leadership of Head Start programs to new applicants to ensure high standards are being met. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] While the name of the new provider has not yet been announced, the change is expected to impact the nearly 160 employees currently working under the LSF program. McNair says efforts are being made to help staff transition. 'We're trying to ensure that the majority of our employees transition over to the new organization,' she said. Despite losing the lead role for Head Start in Duval, LSF isn't leaving the area. The organization will continue offering Early Head Start services for children under age three, supported by a newly renewed five-year grant. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'We are still going to provide services here in Duval County for Early Head Start, which is for children who are under three. Our contract for the particular Grant was renewed for the next five years,' McNair confirmed. The Office of Head Start has not yet provided additional details or a timeline for when the transition to the new provider will begin. Requests for comment have not yet been returned. Action News Jax will continue to monitor this developing story and provide updates as more information becomes Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Miami Valley Child Development marks 60 years with Head Start
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The 60th anniversary celebration for both the Miami Valley Child Development Centers (MVCDC) and the Head Start program will be this Wednesday. The Head Start program serves nearly 3,000 kids in the Miami Valley who are experiencing poverty. It provides high-quality early learning and child care to children from 6 weeks to age 5. Simultaneously, the program offers critical support to the kids' families to help break the cycle of poverty. Little Miami Watershed Network summer events coming soon The event will be held on June 4 at the Marilyn E. Thomas Center, 2900 Shiloh Springs Rd., Trotwood, at 6:00 p.m. 2 NEWS' weekend anchor and multi-media journalist, KaJéza Hawkins, will emcee the celebration. Hawkins is a proud MVCDC graduate. Dr. Alonzo Patterson, III, a board-certified pediatrician and Dayton Children's Hospital's first Chief Medical Health Equity Officer, will speak at the event. He has practiced medicine for over 30 years and primarily focuses on children who lack access to medical care. Patterson has cared for generations of families here in Dayton, and many of his patients have been MVCDC/Head Start graduates. Dayton Children's new center to address food insecurity, poverty and more with new programs MVCDC is, spectacularly, the largest provider of Early Head Start and Head Start programs in Ohio. It ensures nearly 500,000 nutritious meals and snacks are given to children each year. There are many ways to be eligible for the program: Families earning under 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (Which is $26,650 for a family of three). Families who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are automatically eligible to enroll. Children in foster or kinship care, or who are experiencing homelessness. Children with some disabilities. For more information on the program, call Berta Velilla, MVCDC President and CEO, at 937-825-8439. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local programs brace for impact of potential SNAP reductions
JOPLIN, Mo. — The Missouri House prepares to vote on a federal budget resolution which could impact the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as 'SNAP.' Back in April, the state proposed to delegate cuts to SNAP to aid the federal budget resolution. According to the USDA, SNAP helps more than 650,000 people in Missouri, including about 300-thousand children, afford food. Representatives with Joplin's Head Start program say about 80-percent of their families are eligible for SNAP benefits and 42-percent of them say 'they struggle to provide healthy meals each day.' Local food bank workers say those numbers are causing a steady stream of traffic through their doors. 'At first it was just like a little trickle. But now we have more and more people coming in and it's definitely noticeable. We have probably a 10% increase about 10% to 15% of the amount of households that are coming in that need food assistance,' said Carrie Pence, Joplin Crosslines Ministries executive director. 'Even with all of the stuff that we are doing on the front line, we're still seeing a lot of food insecurity, so a cut to the SNAP benefits would strain and stretch an already taxed community support system that we're already relying on heavily,' said Kelly Creech, Head Start and Early Head Start family development coordinator. Head Start and Early Head Start serve about 900 families a year, and Crosslines Ministries serve about 2,000 families each month to help lessen the gap of food insecurity. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: What Babies Need from Congress Right Now
Last week, parents from every corner of America headed to Capitol Hill — strollers, diaper bags and all — to demand that Congress protect and strengthen critical early childhood programs that millions of babies rely on. Babies can't speak for themselves, so families and early childhood advocates are raising their voices to demand that Congress invest in our youngest kids' health, development and future. Their trip to Washington, D.C., could not have been timelier. Days after their departure, the House voted in favor of a disastrous budget that puts their priorities in jeopardy. At the rally, we heard directly from a broad, bipartisan swath of legislators — including House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, and Democratic Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan — affirming the necessity of these programs. As the bill moves to the Senate, the upper chamber would be wise to listen to Strolling Thunder families and stop these reckless cuts in their tracks. On the chopping block? Medicaid, which covers over 40% of births in the US; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food to 4.5 million children under age 5; and funding for families and states that cover child care, foster care and other basic needs. Related These programs are lifelines that give kids a solid start, especially for families who face extra hurdles because of their income, where they live, a disability or their background. Parents like Rachell Dumas, a nurse and maternal health advocate from Atlanta, who shares that, 'After nine pregnancy losses, I thought the hardest part was over once my son was born. But I was wrong. PTSD from years of trauma made it hard to bond with my miracle baby, and there was no system in place to support us. Babies don't just inherit our love. They inherit our pain, too.' That's why Dumas is telling Congress to protect and strengthen the support new parents need. This includes safeguarding health and nutrition by protecting and strengthening Medicaid and SNAP so every baby receives essential well‑baby visits, immunizations and nutritious meals. And take parents like Charlein Downs from Delaware, whose son, Jeremiah, has benefited enormously from Early Head Start. '[Early Head Start teachers] have given me clear guidance on what milestones Jeremiah should be reaching and practical tools I can use to help him grow. His teachers are amazing — not just for his education, but for mine,' Downs says. In many rural areas, these programs are the only option for infant care, and they set children up for the strongest start in school. Cutting them doesn't just shrink opportunities; cuts force families to choose between work, health and their child's future. Related Dumas and Downs joined with other parents on Capitol Hill, not as lobbyists but as living proof of what's at stake. They're continuing to ask for more than promises: They want protection for programs like Medicaid and SNAP, stronger funding for Early Head Start and other early learning opportunities, and a fair shot for their children to thrive. Parents shared what's at stake for their babies, while emphasizing that this isn't just an individual family problem; it's an economic problem. Between birth and age 3, a child's brain forms more than 1 million neural connections every second. When babies' caregivers get the support they need to provide a nurturing home, stimulating surroundings and regular check‑ups, babies learn to talk, think and manage feelings much faster. Without those supports, kids are more likely to have health problems, fall behind in school or struggle with behavior, costing all of us billions later on. Research shows that every $1 we spend on a child under 3 pays back up to $13 in benefits, like more graduates, lower health bills and less crime spending. But when early supports are cut, parents miss work, employers lose productivity, tax revenues shrink and public spending climbs as families turn to emergency rooms and food pantries.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
United Way of Acadiana Early Head Start hosts community Baby Shower
ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) — United Way of Acadiana Early Head Start (UWA EHS) is hosting a community baby shower that is open for expected mothers of Vermilion Parish. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 21 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Vermilion Women's Resource Center located at 515 Edwards Street in Abbeville. Attendees will be provided with baby items, refreshments, resources, and information about the organization's free Early Head Start program. Heather Blanchard, UWA President and CEO, shared how the organization wants to support all families of the community by providing resources from the beginning. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Ensuring access to nutrition and healthcare is just one part of our comprehensive approach to helping children get off to a good start,' Blanchard said. 'We support parents, caregivers, and our community to prioritize investment in early childhood development.' To support this initiative, UWA EHS is collecting baby items for expectant moms in need. The list of needed items can be found at their website.. Those who would like to donate can drop off items at the UWA main office located at 215 E. Pinhook Road in Lafayette or purchase directly from an Amazon wishlist: click here . Over $34 Million in unclaimed property checks from Louisiana Department of Revenue Team Penske announces leadership departures over 'organizational failures' United Way of Acadiana Early Head Start hosts community Baby Shower Opelousas police seek help finding missing teen, Amiya Murria GOP tries to push Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' to floor as key hearing drags into daylight Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
