Childcare Partners and Delegate Programs

At Head Start and Early Head Start, we take a holistic approach to early education and childcare that not only involves working with the whole child, but also aims to draw in community-based organizations and agencies as valued associates. Although we are largely funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration of Children and Families, we would not be able to offer such an extensive array of services to Boston’s low-income children and their families if it were not for the additional support of a variety of local partners. We are always interested in exploring the possibility of new collaborations and partnerships. And we are thankful for the gracious support of the following partner programs:

The John F. Kennedy Family Service Center:

The JFK Center is a delegate Head Start program serving 134 children. Opened in 1964, the center was created with an emphasis on providing Head Start services, job-training, and job-placement programs. Current services include: job training and placement, home care and recreational services for the elderly, substance abuse counseling, a youth after school program, community services for immigrants, a series of parenting skills activities to help parents with positive discipline, case management and the development of family work plans with measurable milestones, and family counseling services.

Paige Academy:

Through a partnership with ABCD Head Start and Children’s Services, Paige Academy has 20 Head Start slots available to low-income preschool children in the Boston area. The school is a non-profit, alternative educational institution, offering a comprehensive, culturally affirming, and developmentally based arts, sciences, humanities, and technology program for children from birth to age twelve. Paige is committed to providing arts-based, child-friendly, project-centered education that involves the whole family in an "urban village" community of cultural reaffirmation and ethnic understanding.

Lena Park:

Through a partnership with ABCD Head Start and Children’s Services, Lena Park has 20 Head Start slots available to low-income children in the Boston area. The school is devoted to the mission of providing integrated programs and services that will strengthen families and build healthy communities for the residents of the City of Boston. Lena Park’s Early Care & Education program (ECE) provides 100 preschool children, ages 2.9-6 years, with high-quality childcare that promotes healthy development and learning that helps ensure school readiness.

Catholic Charities Yawkey Haitian Multi-Service Center:

Through a partnership with ABCD Head Start and Children’s Services, the Haitian Multi-Service Center serves 32 Head Start children. Located in the Catholic Charities Yawkey Center in Dorchester, the goal of the HMSC is to prepare and assist immigrants in their quest for social and economic self-sufficiency in the United States. The center offers comprehensive childcare and early education services, including infant and toddler care, pre-school and pre-kindergarten education, kindergarten, and after-school programs.

Horizon’s for Homeless:

This program offers 30 Head Start slots to homeless children, including 20 at the Putnam Investment Community Children’s Center in Jamaica Plain and 10 at the Edgerley Center on Columbus Avenue in Roxbury. Children learn how to play, share, read, and enjoy exploring their worlds. Parents are shown how to be nurturing individuals as they become involved in the growth and development of their children. They are also given the tools to learn and grow through housing searches, job training, GED services, and college courses.

Infants and Other People:

Through a partnership with ABCD Head Start and Children’s Services, Infant and Other People serves 20 preschool children. Infants and other People, Inc. is a community based, NAEYC accredited childcare center located in Boston’s South End. Since 1974, the program has served 52 infants and children, from two months to five years of age, with full-day, full-year childcare services.