SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program Receives Federal Funding
Edwardsville, IL. (PRWEB) July 11, 2014 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start, has awarded a cluster of grants worth $11,621,178 annually to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head Start/Early Head Start Program. The five-year funding is known as “Birth to Five” programs, named for the ages of the children who will receive services through SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start.
The SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program, under the leadership of Program Director G. Lynnie Bailey with the support of the SIUE Office of Research and Projects, successfully completed the grant process. The SIUE Head Start programs competed for funding through the Office of Head Start’s Designation Renewal System.
Bailey will manage the five-year grant worth more than $58 million through June 2019. It has a positive effect upon 198 employees at the administrative office located on the SIUE East St. Louis Center campus.
“One of the SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program’s primary goals is for happy, healthy children to achieve academic success, not only in kindergarten, but also throughout their academic careers,” Bailey said. “Through the Birth to Five program, the SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program will positively impact the lives of more than 7,500 children and their families in East St. Louis and throughout St. Clair County during the course of the next five years.”
“The SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start program provides critical family and educational services to the St. Clair County communities,” said Jerry Weinberg, associate provost for Research and dean of the SIUE Graduate School. “It also provides the opportunity for faculty and students to connect with the community and provide support and service in their areas of expertise, such as nursing, dental medicine, psychology, and early childhood development.”
The SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program provides instructional services to children and families, as well as health and nutritional supports. The program also offers services to expectant families. The program actively participates in Illinois Race to the Top collaborative work, spearheaded by Children’s Home and Aid.
For SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program enrollment information for the 2014-15 school year, contact 618-482-6955 or visit the administrative office at the SIUE East St. Louis Center campus.
About the SIUE East St. Louis Center:
With a focus on empowering people and strengthening communities, the SIUE East St. Louis Center is dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals—from pre-school through adulthood—in the Metro East region. The Center offers programs that give the community renewed hope and opportunity to reach educational, career, and life goals. It does so by providing comprehensive programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services, and the arts. These programs include The SIUE Charter School, Upward Bound programs, Project Success, and PALS/Latchkey.
Doug McIlhagga, Southern IL University Edwardsville, http://www.siue.edu, +1 (618) 650-5600, [email protected]
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