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Date:  October 12, 1995
For Release:  Immediately
Contact:  Michael Kharfen, ACF, (202) 401-9215

"As a nation, we must make a commitment to strengthen our families. One of the greatest commitments we can make is to provide children with the head start they need from day one," President Clinton said. "The investment that we make now will reap substantial benefits in the future for our youth and our nation."

"Early Head Start" is the product of bipartisan legislation signed into law by President Clinton in May 1994, with the Reauthorization of the Head Start Act.

"The years from conception to age three are absolutely critical in human development. When we look toward providing a good start in life for our neediest children, these first years mustn't be left out," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "This new aspect of the Head Start program will enhance children's physical, social, emotional and intellectual development while also helping parents with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency."

Grants were made to 68 recipients. Programs will develop services which create an environment which builds upon and responds to the unique strengths and needs of each child and family, including: high quality early education (both in and out of the home), home visits (especially for families with newborns and other infants), parent education (including parent-child activities), comprehensive health services (including services for women prior to, during and after pregnancy), nutrition, and ongoing support to parents through case management and peer support groups.

"This program will provide resources to community programs to address such needs and demonstrate the impact that can be gained when early, continuous and comprehensive services are provided early on to pregnant women and very young children and their families," said Mary Jo Bane, HHS assistant secretary for children and families.

A panel of early childhood development experts made recommendations to HHS on the development of program approaches for the infant and toddler initiative. Their report to the Secretary, "Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers," identified principles that are characteristic of successful programs for families with very young children, such as high quality, prevention and promotion, parent involvement and comprehensiveness, flexibility and responsiveness.

"Based on this expert advice, we designed the Early Head Start program to focus on four cornerstones that are essential to top- quality programs: child development, family development, community building and staff development," said Mary Jo Bane.

The grant recipients are:

• Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska, $469,720.
• Child Development, Inc., Russellville, Ark., $302,097.
• Southwest Human Development, Inc., Phoenix, Ariz., $1,098,078.
• Northcoast Children's Services, Arcata, Calif., $609,236.
• Sacramento Employment and Training Agency, Sacramento, Calif., $573,750.
• Venice Family Clinic, Venice, Calif., $1,154,209.
• Community Partnerships for Child Development, Colorado Springs, Colo., $675,000.
• Clayton/Mile High Family Futures, Denver, Colo., $1,176,074.
• Friends of Maria Mitchell, Denver, Colo., $810,000.
• Edward C. Mazique Parent Child Center, Inc., Washington, D.C., $1,004,800.
• School Board of Alachua County, Gainesville, Fla., $642,210.
• Dade County Board of Commissioners, Miami, Fla., $1,286,027.
• Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga., $554,123.
• Save the Children Federation, Atlanta, Ga., $690,000.
• Berry College, Mount Berry, Ga., $455,319.
• Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., Graettinger, Iowa, $452,047.
• Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc., Marshalltown, Iowa, $814,709.
• City of Chicago, Department of Human Services, Chicago, Ill., $634,053.
• Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago, Ill., $573,098.
• Wabash Area Development, Inc., Enfield, Ill., $801,224.
• Hamilton Center, Inc., Terre Haute, Ind., $546,773.
• University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., $1,112,707.
• Unified School District #305, Salina, Kan., $367,000.
• Child Care Association of Wichita/Sedgwick County, Wichita, Kan., $664,274.
• Breckinridge-Grayson Programs, Inc., Leitchfield, Ky., $457,329.
• Murray Board of Education, Murray, Ky., $700,000.
• Friends of the Family, Inc., Baltimore, Md., $1,093,780.
• Family Services Agency, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., $660,375.
• Region II Community Action Agency, Jackson, Mich., $615,000.
• KCMC Development Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., $678,300.
• Human Development Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., $716,426.
• Friends of Children of Mississippi, Inc., Jackson, Miss., $600,525.
• Asheville City Schools, Asheville, N.C., $700,000.
• Little Hoop Community College, Fort Totten, N.D., $900,000.
• Central Nebraska Community Services, Loup City, Neb., $525,567.
• Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack, Inc., Concord, N.H., $700,000.
• Babyland Nursery, Inc., Newark, N.J., $619,967.
• Northwest New Jersey Community Action Program, Phillipsburg, N.J., $600,000.
• Project Teen Aid, Brooklyn, N.Y., $1,214,213.
• Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc., Mayville, N.Y., $600,000.
• Educational Alliance, Inc., New York, N.Y., $650,000.
• The Astor Home for Children, Rhinebeck, N.Y., $725,454.
• P.E.A.C.E., Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., $374,874.
• Child Focus, Inc., Batavia, Ohio, $600,000.
• Cincinnati-Hamilton Community Action Commission, Cincinnati, Ohio, $504,100.
• Southern Oregon Child and Family Council, Inc., Central Point, Ore., $700,000.
• The Philadelphia Parent Child Center, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., $789,735.
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., $1,363,252.
• ASPIRA Inc., of Puerto Rico, Rio Peidras, P.R., $700,000.
• New York Foundling Hospital, New York, N.Y., $458,100.
• Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources, Inc., Greenville, S.C., $315,810.
• Sumter School District 17, Sumter, S.C., $529,323.
• City of Chattanooga, Human Services Department, Chattanooga, Tenn., $382,958.
• Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn., $882,484.
• Head Start of Greater Dallas, Inc., Dallas, Texas, $429,591.
• Texas Migrant Council, Inc., Laredo, Texas, $294,128.
• Avance, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, $1,009,000.
• City of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, $511,175.
• Bear River Head Start, Logan, Utah, $700,000.
• United Cerebral Palsy of Washington and Northern Virginia, Inc., Washington, D.C., $743,551.
• Central Vermont Community Action Council, Inc., Barre, Vt., $600,000.
• Brattleboro Town School District, Brattleboro, Vt., $841,564.
• Children's Home Society of Washington, Auburn, Wash., $1,553,769.
• Port Gamble Klallam Tribe, Kingston, Wash., $205,285.
• Washington State Community College #17, Spokane, Wash., $638,962.
• Washington State Migrant Council, Sunnyside, Wash., $600,000.
• Renewal Unlimited, Inc., Baraboo, Wis., $650,000.
• Monogalia County Board of Education, Morgantown, W.Va., $647,716.