Early Head Start (EHS) is a comprehensive program that focuses on enhancing the child's development and supporting the family during the critical first three years of the child's life. The EightCAP, Inc. child development program serves pregnant women, infants and toddlers ages 0 - 3 in Gratiot, Isabella, Montcalm and Ionia counties. This program offers weekly visits to the home and monthly group meetings for the parent(s) and child(ren). EHS focuses on family support, medical and nutritional care, and emotional well-being for enrolled children. EHS also networks with other agencies to ensure the family is aware of available resources. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine how effectively the program meets its goals of (a) promoting the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth of infants/toddlers; (b) supporting parents/parent figures in their role as primary caregivers and educators of their children; (c) strengthening community supports for families with young children; and (d) developing highly trained, caring staff to deliver EHS services.

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Funder: EightCap, Inc.
MSU Partners: Community Evaluation and Research Collaborative; Department of Statistics and Probability
Community Partners: EightCap, Inc.

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