UAMS Head Start program receives $41 million grant

The Head Start/Early Head Start Program in Pulaski County has received a grant of $41 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant has been administered by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Pediatrics since 1998.

The grant will be used to operate the program and is structured to provide $8.2 million a year for five years. Head Start/Early Head Start is a federally funded program designed to increase school readiness of low-income children.

The Pulaski County Head Start/Early Head Start Program serves more than 700 students from the age of 6 weeks to 5 years old and their families through both center-based and home-based programs across the county.

“Being chosen for this grant award in an open competition is very gratifying and proof of the good work this program has been doing for 20 years,” said Eduardo Ochoa, M.D., section chief of community pediatrics and an associate professor of pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine. “It just shows the value of the partnerships we’ve made all over the county and how important it is to serve the families we do,” he said.

According to UAMS, the grant will allow some changes to the program’s design and management including:

• Increasing both the number of children served in Early Head Start and in home-based services, with an emphasis on serving pregnant women and a particular focus on teen moms and a growing Latino community;
• Centralization of services and consolidation of centers from 12 facilities to 9;
• Collaborating with University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College both as a hub location, serving up to 249 children and housing the program’s administrative office, and using the college’s resources and staff in addition to those of UAMS;
• Strengthening teacher performance by using the Shine Early Learning Teacher Success Rubric as part of the program’s coaching and professional development plan; and
• Hiring two deputy directors to focus on providing quality services, full enrollment and program management.

Under the administration of the Department of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine, the program in Pulaski County offers more than traditional Head Start programs, according to the school. It said children and their parents also have access to health, nutrition, dental, disabilities, oral health and mental health services from UAMS and other providers.

The program also provides service learning opportunities for students in the UAMS colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions and Public Health.