Our Mission
Mercer County Head Start-Early Head Start and Pre K Counts Programs connect children, families, schools and communities by partnering quality education with caring support services today for a better tomorrow.
Values
We believe that parents are a child’s first and best teacher.
We believe that our entire staff should be committed to children, families, fellow staff members and our community partners by demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism, dignity and respect.
We believe that the key to self-sufficiency is through quality education, parental responsibility and community partnerships.
We believe that education and the love of learning is critical to school readiness and a family’s future success.
We believe that providing comprehensive services for physical and mental health development are crucial to a child’s overall development.
We believe in the empowerment of families to ensure self-reliance.
Early Head Start
Home Based Full Year
Infant & Toddler (0 to 3) Program
- Early Head Start Home Visitor provide weekly 90 minute visits in the comfort of your home.
- Child focused visits assist parents to use the home as the primary learning environment.
- Researched based curriculum-Parents As Teacher, to support the child’s development.
- Focus on proper nutrition, health and saftey in the home, periodic health and developmental screenings.
- 22 Socialization-Playgroups to meet with other parents and share experiences and allow children to play and learn with other children their age.
- Pregnant Women
- Bi-monthly home visits focusing on pre-natal education and development of parenting skills.
- Focus on health and nutrition in preparation for birth of newborn child.
- Prenatal visits by program health professional.
- Referrals and connections to community resources.
- Researched Based Curriculum – Partners for a Healthy Baby.
Head Start
Federal funded program promotes the school readiness of young children ages 3-5 through the provision of comprehensive services to include education, mental health, healthy habits and social services.
Eligible families live in Mercer County and have an income at or below the 100% federal poverty level.
Provision of degreed teaching staff, with a staff to child ratio of 1 to 8.5 children.
Research based curriculum, Creative Curriculum from Teaching Strategies.
Two daily nutritional meals, breakfast & lunch or lunch & snack.
Promotes the role of parents as the child’s first and most important teacher.
Promoting the parent-teacher-family advocate relationship to help support and build the parent-child relationship, strong community ties and promoting the well-being of the family.
Monthly parent meetings and quarterly family activities.
Classrooms are located in all 12 school districts in Mercer County.
PA Pre-K Counts
Funded from the Pennsylvania Department of Education since 2007, PA Pre K Counts promotes school readiness of young children ages 3-5 years through the provision of a researched based education curriculum, to families with incomes up to 300% of the FPL(federal poverty level).
Provision of degreed teaching staff.
Research based curriculum, Creative Curriculum from Teaching Strategies.
Two daily nutritional meals, breakfast and lunch provided free of charge.
Services provided Monday to Friday, for 5.5 hours.
Classrooms are located in Sharon, Greenville, West Middlesex , Mercer, Grove City and Hermitage school districts, only.