Early Head Start and Head Start
About Our Programs
Sunbeam offers high-quality early care and education programs for young children in Oklahoma County. These programs, called Head Start and Early Head Start, help prepare babies, toddlers, and preschoolers for school and life. They are free for families who qualify. This includes children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
Early Head Start
Who We Support:
Pregnant women and their families, babies, and toddlers up through age 3.
Our Goal:
We help you have a healthy pregnancy and support your baby’s early development. We provide activities and care that promote your baby’s growth and learning from day one.
Two options:
Center-based
At a Sunbeam Early Education Center or partner site, Monday-Friday. Centers are open year-round.
Home-based
Weekly visits in your home through Home Visitation.
Head Start
Who We Support:
Children ages 3 to 4.
Our Goal:
We help you prepare your child for Pre-K by offering fun and educational activities that help them learn and grow. We also ensure your child is healthy and well-fed with regular medical check-ups and nutritious meals.
These programs focus on your child’s growth in a positive learning environment, involve parents/guardians, and support family well-being through the following:
Early Learning and Development:
- Recognizes you, the parent/guardian, as your child’s first and most important teacher.
- Uses personal educational and social-emotional curriculums for your child.
- Supports developmental screenings and monitoring.
- Requires 2 Educational Home Visits and 2 Parent-Teacher Conferences per program year.
Health:
- Provides your child with health screenings (vision and hearing) and free, nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch, and snack).
- Connects families with medical, dental, and mental health services through Sunbeam and/or community partners.
Family Well-Being:
- Offers services to support your family well-being and achieve goals (e.g., stable housing).
- Supports and strengthens your relationship with your child.
- Engages your family in your child’s learning and development.
For the 2023-2024 program year,we achieved the following outcomes
High Quality Learning Environments:
%
of children made good progress in reading and language.
%
of children made good progress in math and science.
Good Health and Well-Being:
%
of children did well on the DECA test, which checks their social and emotional health.
%
of children with social-emotional and behavioral challenges stayed in the program because of special support and care.
Strong Families:
%
of parents learned more about how to raise their children.
%
of parents who had housing when they joined the program kept or improved their housing situation.
The impact of Early Head Start and Head Start
Sunbeam provides Early Head Start and Head Start programs in Oklahoma County. Early Head Start is administered by the Office of Head Start (OHS), which is part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
What is the DECA test?
The DECA test, or Devereux Early Childhood Assessment, is a tool used to understand a child’s social and emotional health. It helps teachers and parents see how well children are doing in areas like:
ATTACHMENT
How well a child forms strong, lasting relationships with adults.
INITIATIVE
How well a child uses independent thought and actions to meet their needs.
SELF-REGULATION
How well a child can control their emotions and stay focused.
The test involves answering questions about how often a child shows certain behaviors, like trying new things or enjoying interacting with others. This helps identify the child’s strengths and areas where they might need more support.
“I see three little beautiful, amazing beings that are going to flourish because of Sunbeam. I haven’t stopped smiling since I met Sunbeam. I smile when I talk about Sunbeam because they have been my hope for my family and my life.”
– Sunbeam Parent Cameesha
This website is supported by Grant Number 06CH012537 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of Sunbeam and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.