Early Head Start provides weekly home visits for income eligible families who are pregnant or have children under the age of three.  During the home visits, parents are taught educational strategies to insure their child builds a strong foundation for school readiness.  Home visits also focus on parents’ goals to move their family closer to financial self-sufficiency.  This federally funded program serves nearly 100 families who reside within the Kenosha Unified School District boundaries.  Services facilitate child development, support parental roles, and promote self-sufficiency, and are provided at no cost to the family.

What can parents expect?

• Parent Participation in their Child’s Personalized Learning Program through the Parents as Teachers & Growing Birth to Three Curriculum
• Weekly Home Visits
• Help in Accessing Community Resources
• Assistance in Obtaining Prenatal, Health & Dental Care
• Fun Family Events
• Guidance in Setting & Reaching Family Goals

Who is eligible?

• Income Eligible Children Ages Birth to Three Years and/or Pregnant Women
• Living in the Early Head Start Service Area
• Programming for Children with Disabilities is Provided

EHS Annual Report

If you’d like more information, contact Jill Sorenson, Early Head Start Coordinator at 262-658-9580 or contact us.

Early Intervention Program (EIP) assists families and caregivers to enhance children’s learning and development through everyday learning opportunities. The program provides service coordination, special education, physical, occupational and speech therapies for children ages birth to three years, who exhibit developmental delays. Key principles for providing early intervention services expand on the mission of the program and include best practices for supporting families. View the Mission and Key Principles for Providing Early Intervention Services in Natural Environments here.

Eligibility

The KAC Early Intervention Program serves all children living in Kenosha County who:

• Are between the ages of birth to 3 years
• Display a minimum 25% developmental delay OR have a diagnosed condition known to cause a developmental delay
• Third party insurance is NOT necessary, however, families may be asked to contribute toward the cost of services.

Anyone can call Kenosha Achievement Center’s Early Intervention Program to make a referral. Referrals should be made whenever a child is at risk or is exhibiting delays in development.

Service Delivery

In Kenosha County, EIP is based on the following practices:

• Primary Coach Approach to Teaming: All families and children are supported by an Early Interventionist (EI) team. One member of the EI team, with support of the whole EI team, acts as the primary coach to parents and other primary caregivers.
• Natural Learning Environment Practices: Drawing on your family’s everyday activities and your child’s interests, services are provided in the child’s natural learning environment, including home, child care and other settings.
• Coaching as an Interaction Style: An adult learning strategy that promotes the parents’ or caregivers’ confidence and competence in supporting a child’s learning and development.

Developmental Check Up

A developmental check up in the following areas will assist you in looking at your child’s development.

• Fine motor skills – hand & arm coordination
• Gross motor skills – movement, balance & large muscle coordination
• Speech & language skills – hear & understand sounds & words
• Talking – say words and use them to communicate
• Self-care skills – learning to care for oneself independently
• Social / Emotional skills – appropriate interaction in the home & community

Click below to view age appropriate milestones

English

2 Months    4 months   6 months   9 months  12 months   18 months    2 years

Español

2 meses     4 meses    6 meses    9 meses      12 meses      18 meses      2 anos

Try these fun & easy activities to encourage your child’s development!

Age 1       Age 2       Age 3       Age 4       Age 5

Click HERE for a quick interactive questionnaire to help you keep track of your child’s development.

Monitor your child’s development with the CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app.

For more information contact Suzi Wolf, Early Intervention Program Coordinator at 262-658-9570 or contact us.

Weekly playgroups are a fun way for families with children under the age of five to connect and engage in developmentally appropriate activities. These playgroups offer an opportunity for parents to socialize and children to learn from each other. Playgroups are led by parents and often include free play, story time, music, art, large motor play and a snack. Sprouts Playgroups are offered at multiple locations throughout Kenosha County.

Attendance is limited to one 90 minute session each week. Consistent attendance enables the group to get to know one another. Registration is required. Group size is limited and is determined by the size of the location.

The following is intended as a guideline only. We strive to be flexible in an effort to meet everyone’s needs.

First 30 minutes Sign in & free play
Next 15 minutes Bathroom & snack
Next 15 minutes Story & song
Next 15 minutes Table activity
Last 15 minutes Large muscle play

It is important that you arrive promptly to enable the children to stay on schedule.

Volunteers

Volunteers are always needed. There are many tasks that volunteers can help out with, from emptying trash to assisting in the table activity. Please volunteer to help out in whatever way that you can. Our Parent Committee is made up of parents from each of our playgroups that discuss ways to improve how SPROUTS functions. The committee meets once a month.

If you would like more information contact Erin Mendoza | emendoza@thekac.com, at 262-658-9580 or contact us.

NEW SERVICE FOR FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN IN KENOSHA COUNTY!

Help Me Grow is a nationwide system model that assists parents and caregivers in receiving the best help and resources for child development and family wellness. Locally, this free helpline can give parents the tools they need to help their child succeed. Parents with children age birth to 5 years, can get help tracking their child’s development for every stage of growth.

Fill out a Developmental Questionnaire to get started
English: ASQ Online
Spanish: ASQ Online