The $23 million grant will increase the number of spots in the program by more than 70%.
The Ohio State University’s Early Head Start Partnership Program has received a $23 million expansion grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services that will result in a 70% increase in the number of spots available for children to take part in the free program.
According to an article on The Ohio State University’s website, Don Fuzer, who is the the program’s principal investigator, was quoted as saying of the capacity increase and the effect it will have, “By adding 189 Head Start child care slots to our existing program, we will create a birth-to-5 model of high-quality early education and services to ensure continuity of care for children and their families. We hope to enhance brain development at a crucial time of life and create supportive relationships that will have a long-lasting impact on families.”
Established in 2015, the Ohio State Early Head Start Program is a free and federally funded program that aims to provide care and resources to children up to age three who come from low-income families. What makes The Ohio State University’s Early Head Start Partnership Program different from other Early Head Start and Head Start programs, which exist around the country, is that it integrates with community partners and with departments throughout the university to provide unique services.
According to Melanie Tracy, who is the service integration coordinator for the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Schoenbaum Family Center, the program provides childcare and resources for the kids themselves, but also for parents, via neonatal services.
“We not only offer early childhood education and child care centers and family child care homes throughout Columbus. but our goal is to also work with parents to ensure family stability and to help their economic growth. We have a natal educator who provides information on breastfeeding and safe sleep, healthy eating and making sure that our moms take care of themselves as much as they take care of their children,” said Tracy.
The Ohio State University departments that are involved with the Early Head Start Program include Nursing, Optometry, Speech and Hearing, and the Nisonger Center, and many community partners participate, as well.
Tracy said, “We work with Nationwide Children’s dental clinic and their health services to provide oral health care to our kids and immunizations as well as wellness checks. The Nisonger Center provides mental and behavioral health, as well as early intervention assessments.”
Nursing students have the chance to be involved in the program by working with parents to help them navigate stress and mental health challenges, and by organizing support groups and social events at public libraries to help the parents form their own social community.
Jennifer Kosla, an assistant professor with the College of Nursing, said, “That is so beneficial sometimes just to validate what you’re going through, to share ideas or information. Either families can walk to a location or use the bus line. Our students are providing information or education on topics that are important to the families. Our families receive support beginning in pregnancy until the child enters kindergarten. We like to call it a continuum of care. We have a lot of staff who work with families for years and years, and it’s such a good thing because it builds trust, relationships.”
The Early Head Start Program at The Ohio State University has experienced many successes, including reaching a zero percent infant mortality rate among program participants, and it now has the expansion grant in place to fund even more spots to help Columbus families and children.
For more information about The Ohio State University, visit the school’s website.