Happy birthday, Early Head Start (EHS)! This year, the Office of Head Start is celebrating 25 years of providing family-centered services to pregnant women, infants, and toddlers.
Since 1995, the EHS program has improved child and family outcomes through comprehensive services. These services support the role of parents, foster parent-child relationships, and improve family self-sufficiency.
Learn more about the success and history of this groundbreaking program. Also, explore resources around the development of children age birth to 3 below.
Early Head Start Turns 25 in 2020
Happy birthday, EHS! In this video, Dr. Bergeron kicks off a year-long celebration of EHS programs. She highlights their impact in supporting parents and America's youngest children.
Happy 25th Birthday, Early Head Start
Early Head Start is celebrating its 25th year working with infants, toddlers, and families. Watch and share this heartwarming video to learn about the impact EHS programs have had on our communities. Through the years, EHS programs have served 3 million children—and counting! #EHS25
The Statement of the Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers
All children from birth to age 3 need early child development experiences that honor their unique characteristics and provide love, warmth, and positive learning experiences. This historical document, presented in a scanned version, provides an overview of the Head Start commitment to these values.
Policy Brief: Early Head Start at 25
Explore this policy brief to learn more about the EHS program and its impact on children, families, and communities over the past 25 years.
EHS Benefits Children and Families- Head Start Program Performance Standards Excerpts: Infants and Toddlers and EHS
- Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships Programs
- Local Early Childhood Partnerships
- Home-Based Option
- Planning Guide and Organizational Readiness Chart for EHS and EHS-CC Partnerships
- Services to Pregnant Women and Expectant Families in EHS
- The Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) Six Essential Program Practices for Relationship-Based Care
- Using Mixed-Age Groups to Support Continuity of Care in Center-Based Programs
- What Is Quality Data for Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers?
- Early Essentials
- News You Can Use: Early Experiences Build the Brain
- Responsive Learning Environments (Connecting Research to Practice brief)
- Infant and Toddler Caregivers: Steps for School Readiness
- Supporting Children’s Early Brain Development (BabyTalks webinar)
- Curriculum Consumer Report
- Home-Based Curriculum (Standards in Action vignette)
- Implementing Curriculum in a Responsive Environment, Birth to 5: Infant/Toddler Curriculum Series (Teacher Time webinars)
- Using Scope and Sequence to Plan Responsive Learning Experiences for Infants and Toddlers
- Cultural Perspectives in Caregiving: Applying Relationship-Based Practices
- Child Observation: The Heart of Individualizing Responsive Care for Infants and Toddlers
- Resources for Infant/Toddler Learning Environments
- Infant/Toddler Teaching Practices (Resource Compilation)
- Ongoing Child Assessment Resources for Infants and Toddlers
- BabyTalks Webinar Series
- The Newborn Visit: Information for Early Head Start Staff
- Encouraging Strong Parent-Child Relationships
- Facilitating Parent-Child Interaction in Home-Based Programs
- News You Can Use: Mirroring the Early Parent-Child Bond for Infants and Toddlers
- Strengthening Partnerships to Support Babies with Special Needs
- Can We Be Friends? Peer Interactions and Your Curriculum (Teacher Time webinar)
- Learning to Get Along: Young Children's Social and Emotional Development (Connecting Research to Practice brief)
- Let’s Talk About Empathy (Caring Connections podcast)
- "My 1st Year" and "Discovering Feelings" Books
- Self-Regulation Snap Shot #1: A Focus on Infants and Toddlers
- Co-Regulation from Birth Through Young Adulthood: A Practice Brief
- Understanding Temperament in Infants and Toddlers
- Caring Connections Podcast Series
- Little Voices for Healthy Choices
- News You Can Use
- Tummy Time
- Responsive Feeding
- Understanding Why Baby Teeth Are Important
- What's Sleep Got to Do with It? Exploring Sleep and Wellness for Infants and Toddlers
- BabyTalks Webinar Series
- Brilliant Bilingual Babies (Connecting Research to Practice brief)
- Creating Environments That Include Children's Home Languages and Cultures [PDF, 439KB]
- Dual Language Learners (DLLs) Research to Practice Briefs: Primed and Ready to Learn
- News You Can Use: Foundations of School Readiness: Language and Literacy
- The Importance of Home Language Series
- Language Modeling with DLLs Tip Sheets
- Read It Again! Benefits of Reading to Young Children (Connecting Research to Practice brief)
- Tips for Parents: Choosing Books for Infants and Toddlers
- Bang! Squish! Leap! Supporting the A in STEAM with Infants and Toddlers (Baby Talks webinar)
- Math Is Everywhere: Supporting Math Skills in Infants and Toddlers
- News You Can Use
- Little Scientists: Building Early STEAM Skills (Connecting Research to Practice brief)
- Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and Your Program
- Infants and Vaccines: Answering Parents' Questions
- Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma
- Tips for Keeping Children Safe: A Developmental Guide
- Tips for Keeping Infants and Toddlers Safe: A Developmental Guide for Home Visitors
- Use of Feeding Chairs with Trays in Head Start Infant/Toddler Programs (Head Start Tip Sheet for Grantee Planning)
- Infant/Toddler to Preschool Transitions for Children with Disabilities (Disabilities Services Newsletter)
- Supporting Infants and Toddlers and Their Families Through Transitions (Teacher Time webinar)
- Supporting Transitions: Resources for Building Collaboration
- News You Can Use: Transitions
- Developmental Screening and Referral: EHS and the Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA)
- The Importance of Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families
- Learn the Signs. Act Early.
- SpecialQuest: Including Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
- Strengthening Partnerships to Support Babies with Special Needs
- Young Children with Disabilities Infographic
- Early Essentials Webisode 3: Expectant Families
- Services to Pregnant Women and Expectant Families in EHS
- Services to Pregnant Women and Expectant Families After a Loss
- Substance Misuse During Pregnancy
- Taking Care of Your Oral Health When You Are Pregnant
- The Newborn Visit: Information for Early Head Start Staff
Read more:
Resource Type: Article
National Centers: Office of Head Start
Age Group: Infants and Toddlers
Last Updated: June 27, 2023