ABC Inc. Chosen to Continue Delivering HS/EHS Program Services in Rochester
Action for a Better Community (ABC) is proud to announce that it has been selected by the federal Office of Head Start to receive an annual $17 million grant (renewable for a five-year period) to continue operating both Head Start and Early Head Start services in Rochester.
The decision by the Office of Head Start (part of the US Department of Health and Human Services) to award ABC this funding validates ABC’s approach and reflects ABC‘s almost 60-year track record of providing some of the best early childhood education services in the region and nation.
The award recognizes ABC’s ongoing commitment to continuously enhance and expand its quality early childhood programs and curriculum. The new grant also acknowledges and provides support for ABC’s strong emphasis on recruiting and retaining talented, professional educators and caregivers to provide world-class services to families with low incomes.
Program enhancements under the new award include:
A new curriculum that emphasizes interactive, hands-on learning that benefits the whole child and engages the whole family in learning.
Enhanced use of technology in the classroom to provide teachers with additional resources to assess program quality and customize the classroom experience for each child.
Significantly increased, highly competitive compensation for educational, family and support staff that recognizes ABC’s unique value proposition: our dedicated, compassionate, and highly qualified staff.
Increased program slots for infants and toddlers to meet the community’s significant, and currently unmet, need for high quality, no-cost early childhood programming for Rochester’s youngest residents.
ABC has operated a Head Start program serving three- and four-year olds in Monroe County since 1965. ABC’s Early Head Start program, serving pregnant women, infants, and toddlers 0 to 3 has operated since 1992. With the new funding, these two programs will together serve 792 women, infants, toddlers and preschoolers each year.
In past years, ABC Head Start/Early Head Start has served larger numbers of children. However, the program constantly evolves to meet the changing needs in the community. Due to the availability of quality alternatives for 3- and 4-year olds, such as Universal Pre-K, the greatest need among families is for programming and care for children under 3 years of age. ABC’s new programming better directs resources to meet the greater needs of younger children.
The anticipated start date for the new Head Start and Early Head Start programs is September 4, 2024. Children will be served in ABC’s center-based programs located at Hart Street, Joseph Avenue, Clifford Avenue, North Street, and Jefferson Avenue and via partnership with Ibero at its Clifford Avenue Childcare Center. ABC will no longer provide Head Start at its Hudson Avenue location. Home-based services will be available for families who are more comfortable receiving developmental support in their own home setting. Due to facility renovations and staff preparation needed for the enhanced programs, ABC will not provide Early Head Start services in July and August. Summer services will return in 2025.
Qualified individuals interested in employment opportunities should contact ABC’s Human Resources Department at 585-325-5116 ext. 4200 or by visiting our website at www.abcinfo.org.
