Keystone Human Services

Keystone Children & Family Services

Capital Area Head Start: Overview

Smiling boy

A most familiar name within Keystone Children & Family Services, Capital Area Head Start is widely known in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry Counties for providing comprehensive child development services to over 700 children aged birth to five in primarily low-income families. The program features twenty-three community-based centers in urban areas as well as home based programs in rural areas.

In fulfilling its primary mission, all Capital Area Head Start children receive educational instruction as well as medical, dental, and nutritional services to prepare them for public school and the world at large.

Capital Area Head Start has been selected as a site in Pennsylvania for Early Head Start services serving pregnant women and children from birth to three years of age. To further extend our hand to the community, a new partnership has been formed between Capital Area Head Start and the Harrisburg School District, whereby four-year-olds participate in a full year of educational programming at seven schools throughout the city. Serving 560 children, this innovative program is just one more example of our enduring commitment to "be there for kids when they need it most."

In fulfilling its primary mission, all Capital Area Head Start children receive educational instruction as well as medical, dental, and nutritional services to prepare them for public school and the world at large. Equally important, Head Start actively empowers parents, enhancing their personal competencies while increasing their access to social services, job training, GED completion or higher education, and employment opportunities. In particular, parent volunteerism in the classroom is a recognized part of our program's extraordinary success.

Further expanding its system of educational and support services, Capital Area Head Start reaches out to other vulnerable populations within our communities, including a unique program for children of families experiencing homelessness. Head Start's warm, nurturing environment is frequently the most stable element in the turbulent lives of these youngsters who are often uprooted during the school year.

Taking outreach one step further to the battle against recidivism, Capital Area Head Start also provides support services to children of locally incarcerated offenders.

Head Start educators also provide programming to teens at a local high school where they promote the promise of future employment.

Keystone is proud of Head Start's innovative legacy, and honors its pledge to remain responsive to the ever-changing needs of families while empowering them to embrace the future with increased confidence and a renewed sense of hope.

Sites

Dauphin County has 20 site locations:
12 Full day/full year (4 are for birth to five)
1 Full day/school year
6 Part day/full year
1 home base
Cumberland County has 2 site locations:
1 Part day/school year
1 home base
Perry County has 1 site location:
1 home base

Importance of CAHS in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry counties

  • CAHS employs 200 staff, in 17 years no lay-offs.
  • CAHS spends at least $9,000,000 annually in the community through employment, leasing of space, and purchase of goods and services.
  • CAHS brings needed federal funds into the area.
  • CAHS is governed by a local Board of Directors and by a parent Policy Council, so decisions about spending, staffing, and program administration are made locally.
  • CAHS is a comprehensive, family focused agency, working to impact parent and child health, education, and development.
  • CAHS connects families to services that provide them with new hope and opportunity by empowering them to make changes in their lives.
  • CAHS program quality has been recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Keystone Stars quality initiative.
  • CAHS builds strong families and strong families build strong communities.
  • CAHS is an advocate for children and families.
  • CAHS demonstrates significant educational outcomes for children in literacy, cognitive and social-emotional development.
  • CAHS educational outcomes data was evaluated by the Capital Area Early Childhood Training Institute which found "statistically significant improvement in scores for all components".  Component data was collected in the areas of talking and reading, beginning math, social, self-help, fine motor, gross motor, rhythm, and creativity.
Dancing Thru The Decades

This page last updated on:
December 4, 2007