Early Head Start Program Analysis

It is no secret that low income communities are at a disadvantage when it comes to health. Studies have repeatedly shown that people with low income tend to be in poorer health and also be more at risk for health complications. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation notes that economic stability, neighborhood and physical environment, education, community and social context, food, and the health care system are all factors that play a role in health outcomes (Heiman & Artiga, 2015) which has also been articulated in class. Many of those are factors in the lives of families in the Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) Early Head Start program (EHS) which creates complications presently and in the future for communities. Some of the main factors

For starters getting parents to come to monthly parent meetings from 3:30PM to 4:30PM has been a challenge, while some parents report being unable to attend because of work, other simply do not find the discussion topic important enough to make the meetings or find it intriguing. However, it’s been observed that whenever a parent meeting discussion topic is one that parents are interested in they tend to show up, whether that means they ask to get off early from work or make other arrangements. Even though parents are aware that the nutritionist will talk about the benefits of healthy meals and share ideas with them, perhaps that may not be appealing enough to the parents. Another way to do more outreach to parents and get them engaged could be by creating a more hands on seminar and makes it more interactive. Not only promoting a hands on seminar but also introducing the idea that parents will have some kind of compensation. Many times people base their decisions on what they will get out of the meeting, and if some parents aren’t educated on the importance of the topic then reeling them in with free food might motivate them more and once they show up the EHS is able to have their attention. EHS gives parents snacks for every parent meeting, however it is only a water and

The target audience will be all of the EHS parents in attempts to educate them about healthy foods and meals, and overall healthy eating behaviors. Although considering the bigger picture all people of lower socioeconomic status could benefit from this, but because of limited funding and resources this seminar would only be open to EHS parents. This event will take place at the corporate office in Oakton, Virginia since they have a much larger meeting rooms and kitchen space. EHS would also arrange transportation as they typically do for any other meetings parents would like to make but don’t have transportation. NVFS also gives parents gas and mileage reimbursements for parents who do have access to vehicle as another insensitive. The hopes would be if we can at least educate a portion of the people in the cities EHS serves then perhaps parents will share what they’ve learned with others. In addition, even if it makes a difference in a few household that is still an accomplishment considering possible intergenerational issues on the line. The goal of the event is to not only address health behaviors and explain the benefits of eating healthy, but also educate on how to prepare a meal and perhaps even some healthy options when eating out since EHS does have many parents who are on the move. Refer to table 1.1 to view an example of the next two months