A new Wayne County Early Head Start (EHS) program was recently dedicated at Schoolcraft College’s Radcliff Center, where 16 children ages six weeks to three-years old are enrolled in the program. Wayne County’s EHS at the Radcliff Center location is operating Monday to Friday, from September thru July. The program utilizes two classrooms, an infant and toddler room and a parent resource room.
“We have always been proud that the Radcliff Center is an important part of the Garden City community, and launching this Head Start program that benefits the parents and children in the area is a natural extension of our mission,” said Dr. Conway A. Jeffress, president of Schoolcraft College at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the EHS opening.
Dr. Shenetta Coleman, Division Director, Wayne County Juvenile and Youth Services Division agreed that this was a “wonderful asset for western Wayne County families.”
“We know that children who attend Head Start programs reap lifelong benefits,” she said. “They have better social-emotional development and are more ready for kindergarten. They even have a higher likelihood of graduating from high school.”
In partnership with the Early Head Start program, Schoolcraft College’s Early Childhood Education and Special Education Department will reap additional benefits of the EHS by being able to provide field experience for students in its Infant and Toddler Education class at the Radcliff Center in addition to the students’ rotations at the college’s Children’s Center on the main Livonia campus. And starting in the fall 2018 semester, the college will also begin offering two introductory courses, Foundations of Early Childhood Education and Child Development at the Radcliff Center at days and times that coincide with the drop off and pick up times of families with children in the EHS program to provide added experience.
For more information on enrollment in Wayne County Head Start programs and services call 1-866-534-KIDS (5437). For more information about Schoolcraft College’s Early Childhood Education and Special Education, visit www.schoolcraft.edu/academics/education.