Early Head Start - Eligibility For The Program

Eligibility For The Program

Early Head Start is a child development program for low-income families with infants and toddlers. "Each Early Head Start program is responsible for determining its' own eligibility criteria." Key factors in determining eligibility are

- Family income, which is evaluated by the federal poverty guidelines.

-Early Head Start programs may choose to target their services to a particular population of their community in order to meet its needs better

-Involvement in the child welfare system. These include children who: have been physically, mentally or emotionally abused; children who have been neglected; infants whose parents have exposed them to drugs or alcohol and do not have a suitable caretaker; and children whose parents have died, gone to jail, or been hospitalized.

-Many Early Head Start Locations have programs to help rehabilitate families that have been affected by drugs or alcohol. This program is not solely targeted at the child's development but is aimed at helping the entire family and community develop so that the relationships with the child will be healthier and improved.