FAMILY FOUNDATIONS / EARLY HEAD START

224 Helen Street
McKees Rocks, 15136
Tel: 412-771-2810

Program Coordinator, Sue Stiffler

For more information or to sign up for the program contact Akua Johnson, Parent Involvement Specialist, at (412) 771-2810, ext. 10. Sue Stiffler can be reached at ext. 11.

Family Foundations Early Head Start provides early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive child development and family support services to low-income families with children up to age three. Its primary purpose is to enhance positive developmental outcomes of children through supportive services to the child, family and community of Sto-Rox.

Raising a family takes hard work and lots of love. Family Foundations Early Head Start works together with you to provide helpful information, ideas, activities and support. Help is also offered to help families with children who have special needs. Family Foundations is a neighborhood-based program made up of caring people who happen to be experts in child development. We just don't give you information, we create really fun ways for you and your child(ren) to learn and grow together. We are with you until your child is three years old--the most important years of their early development. And even then, we can offer advice and direction as you and your family move on to the next phase of your lives.

Family Foundations is a program of the University of Pittsburgh Early Head Start Grant, operating in high-risk neighborhoods in four local communities. It is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and the Howard Heinz Endowment.

Build for a bright tomorrow!
Program Services

For more information on programs visit the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development.

• In-home child development and activities
• Valuable parenting information and ideas
• Linkages to quality child care
• Nutritional services and education
• Health education and referral
• Early literacy development
• Support for mental health issues
• Job/education information and referral
• Infant/toddler groups
• Personal leadership training
• Transportation support
• Drug and alcohol counseling
• Goals
• Promote the optimal social, intellectual, emotional and physical development of children.
• Support parents in their roles as caregivers, teachers and providers, so that parent/child relationships and families will develop to their fullest potential.
• Promote and enhance existing community resources for the benefit of children and their families.
• Provide the highest quality of services through the development of caring and well-trained staff.
• The History of Family Foundations

Family Foundations/Early Head Start evolved out of a long history of providing services to infants and toddlers through the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP). CCDP was a 24-site national research project from the Department of Heath and Human Services. The program focused on low-income families from birth through age five with a strong emphasis on adult self-sufficiency.

Three primary neighborhoods were identified to serve 120 families – Sto-Rox; the Hill District and Clairton. Families received weekly child development home visits and visits twice each month for case management services.

In 1994, Head Start formally expanded its family to include the provision of Early Head Start services. The University Of Pittsburgh Office Of Child Development was awarded an Early Head Start research grant in 1995 to serve 120 at-risk pregnant women and families with children up to age three through a home based model. In 2001, the University was awarded an expansion grant which allowed Family Foundations to extend its boundaries and serve the East End section of Pittsburgh. It also gave us the opportunity to provide some center based services in combination with our home- based model. This was done by contracting with quality childcare centers in the neighborhoods served by the program. These centers meet or exceed Head Start Standards. Family Foundations is currently funded to serve 170 children – 20 through center-based service provision and 150 home-based participants.

The University Of Pittsburgh Office Of Child Development is the grantee agency where clinical and administrative staff is employed. The University in turn subcontracts with three neighborhood organizations to provide services to program participants.

Over the years the services have adapted to the changing needs of program participants. Core team members have been added through subcontracts to include Drug and Alcohol Prevention Specialists and Mental Health Therapists. Family Foundations has been recognized nationally for it’s excellence in the fields of Infant Mental Health and Health Services