ECEAP, Head Start and Early Head Start Enrollment and Unmet Need

ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program), Early Head Start, and Head Start are state (ECEAP) and federally funded programs to assist low income children 3 to 4 years of age in preparation for starting school. 

These programs become a vital link in the developmental chain for young children and their parents.  Quality ECEAP/Head Start programs include strong parent-engagement components.

In our view, the more ECEAP/Head Start slots there are for low-income children, the more our community is likely to have larger numbers of children start school ready to succeed.

In good community Early Learning systems, these programs are not “stand alone” programs or the “magic bullet” that makes kids successful in school.  Rather, they are part of a continuum of early childhood readiness efforts with children from 0-5 that together lead to strong parent engagement with children, quality learning experiences in childcare, and coordinated transition into school.  Connected to other Early Learning pieces for the child and family, these programs become powerful opportunities to multiply positive learning experiences (cognitive, social, and emotional) for very young children as they prepare to enter school.

Unmet Needs
The numbers of children and families not served—the unmet need—is as much a part of the story as the funding and enrollment data.  Reaching those children and families not yet enrolled but in need of quality early-learning services would surely impact school readiness rates in Pierce County. 

The projections for the number of children underserved across the county are dismal. 
Roughly, less than 1 in 3 children ages 3- and 4-years old will access Head Start and ECEAP.  In 2007-08 the ratio of those served to those not served by Early Head Start was an alarming 1 to 100. 

• ECEAP and Head Start Unmet Need in 2010-11: 5,391 low-income 3- and 4-year olds
• Early Head Start Unmet Need in 2010-11: 11,618 low-income children ages 0 to 2 years
• Head Start was offered at 13 sites in Pierce County
• ECEAP was offered at 33 sites in Pierce County
• Early Head Start is primarily offered as an in-home service, based out of six sites in Pierce County.

Source: Puget Sound Educational Service District

While research about the importance of early learning has become more and more compelling over the last decade, ECEAP funding has been sporadic at the state level.  Pierce County had 256 slots in 1986-1987, reached 1,310 in 1996-1997, then dropped off and only hit that level again ten years later in 2007-2008. 

In 2008-2009, ECEAP increased to 1,448 available slots in Pierce County and remained stable at 1,447 slots available in 2010-2011. 

Head Start funding has been relatively flat (1021 slots in 2004, 1028 slots in 2007) but increased slightly over the previously reported period to 1,018 in the 2010-2011 school year.  Early Head Start availability has also been flat, reaching only 125 participants every year since 2004.