Along the way, Samantha has gained confidence as a parent, as the home visiting program emphasizes her role as Joseph’s first and most important teacher and allows her to be an active participant in his learning.

“I would most definitely recommend Early Head Start to all the new moms and dads out there,” she said. “This program has shown me what a good parent is and having that special bond with your child.”

Early Head Start provides comprehensive child development and family support services to expecting parents, infants and toddlers up to age 3, and their families. Families participate in weekly home visits with a family educator and have opportunities to attend socializations, also known as Family Days, at their EHS center with others in the program. 

Samantha enrolled in Early Head Start when Joseph was one month old because she wanted him to begin learning as soon as possible. They were paired up with Jess, a family educator in the Edwardsville Center. For the last three years, Jess has developed a close bond with the family as she visits weekly to work on learning activities, goal setting and more. Samantha and Joseph are also regular guests at Family Days. 

“From the start of home visits, he developed a lot of different skills, from learning how to crawl to learning how to walk and eventually how to talk,” Samantha said. “At socializations, Joseph has made so many new friends, along with new bonds with the educators.” 

Joseph is always excited to see Jess for their home visits. As soon as she comes inside, he sits down, ready to learn. Afterward, Joseph helps pass out the resources Jess leaves for Samantha to look over throughout the week. Then, he gives Jess a hug or a high five and says, “See you next time.” 

Now, Joseph is ready to transition to a Head Start classroom. Samantha is confident that her son is prepared for preschool, and she looks forward to seeing him continue to learn and make new friends.

For Jess, it was meaningful to arrange Joseph’s classroom visit and reflect on how far he has come since their first home visit. 

“I have watched Joseph hit all of his milestones: sitting up, crawling, pulling himself up to stand, taking his first steps, saying his first words and now on the path to transition to a Head Start classroom in the fall,” Jess said. “I am very proud to be his family educator and cannot wait to hear all the great accomplishments he will make in the classroom.”

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate