Early Childhood Program
The first three years of life lay the foundation for much of a person's adult development. As more than half of East Harlem's children live below the poverty line, they are vulnerable because of poor nutrition, isolation, language barriers and restricted physical space in their homes. The Early Childhood Program serves children by establishing trusting relationships with parents and helping them create a safe and healthy environment in which to grow.
Home visiting represents our front line of service. Every year, approximately 250 families from a range of backgrounds develop relationships based on trust and mutual respect with our Home-Based with Socialization program (HBS). We work with East Harlem families whose very young children (up to age three) are at risk of developmental delays. Through home visits and socialization groups, we focus on supporting parents in the work of raising children, work to improve parent and child communications, track the development of the children, and refer children with suspected developmental delays to other appropriate services.
Each year approximately 275 children under age three are enrolled in our Early Intervention (EI) program. Babies and toddlers receive team evaluations by a developmental specialist, a social worker, a speech pathologist, and/or physical and occupational therapists. Treatment plans include home-based and community-based services.
Early Childhood photo gallery
Center-Based program photo gallery
