Welcome to

 

Serving Grays Harbor, Mason, and Thurston Counties

Mission Statement: Sound to Harbor Head Start and ECEAP provides comprehensive individualized preschool education, health education, and family support to promote family engagement and school readiness.

Head Start is a federally funded program that serves children ages three to five who live in poverty, are homeless, are in foster care, or have a disability. ECEAP is a state funded program serving the same low-income population.

The purpose of Head Start and ECEAP is to promote their school readiness by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development.  The high quality learning environment provided by Head Start and ECEAP supports children’s growth in language and literacy; cognition and general knowledge; physical development and health; social and emotional learning; and approaches to learning.

Comprehensive services include education and cognitive development, health and nutrition services for the child; and family support and linkages to community social services for the family.  Head Start and ECEAP services are designed to be responsive to each child and family’s ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.  Transportation to and from home and school is provided for most of the centers.

The role of the parent as their child’s first and most important teacher is the foundation of developing a relationship between staff and the family.  Head Start and ECEAP staff build relationships with families that support the family’s well-being and positive parent-child relationships; families as learners and lifelong educators; family engagement in transitions; family connections to peers and community; and families as advocates and leaders.

In ESD 113 Sound to Harbor Head Start centers, children typically attend a half-day program, four days a week from late September through early June.  Four classrooms are available for families with state funded child-care subsidy, providing a full day of care.  The program serves a total of 553 Head Start and 230 ECEAP children either directly or through contracts with a school district, community college or childcare center.

Please explore our website to learn more about the program and to see how we can serve you. You may also contact us by email here.