ELIGIBILITY & ENROLLMENT

New Castle County Head Start, Inc. is a federally funded program designed to serve primarily children and families with limited income and children with disabilities. The majority of the program's slots are dedicated to families whose income falls at or below the federal poverty guidelines. New Castle County Head Start, Inc. program, however, is permitted to serve a small percentage of families whose income exceeds the federal guidelines.

There are two criteria that families must meet in order to qualify for New Castle County Head Start, Inc. services:

	1. Age of the child
	2. Family income

The program serves children who are 3-5 years old. To be eligible for Head Start, a child must be at least three years old prior to August 31st of the enrollment year. Some exceptions are made for those children who have documentation of a disability. At least 90% of the enrollees must be from low-income families. Up to 10% of the children may be from families that are above the income guidelines.

Parents who want to enroll their children in the program need to make an appointment to meet with a Head Start employee. Staff will assist the parent through the application process. Parents should come prepared to the meeting with the following documentation:

	1. Proof of family income for one month
	2. Proof of the child's age
	3. TANF Documentation
	4. Medical Insurance Card
	5. Documentation of child health appraisal/physical including TB Lead, Hemoglobin, Hearing, Height and Weight

Once the application process is complete, all families are assigned a weighted scale number depending on the demand factors associated with their family. Additional consideration is given to children who have been documented with a disability or homeless. Those families with the highest weighted scale number, i.e. those with the greatest need, will be given enrollment priority. The program is continually accepting applications and assigning families to the Waiting List. Once an enrollment slot becomes available, the family with the greatest need (highest weighted scale number) will be the first selected to enroll in the program. This process ensures that New Castle County Head Start, Inc. is always providing services to those who need it the most.

All families who apply will be sent a letter stating if they have met the enrollment qualifications. Along with that letter may be a list of additional documentation that the program will need upon or shortly after enrollment: Child Health Appraisal (Physical), documentation that the child has had a Dental visit and documentation of Immunizations. The New Castle County Head Start, Inc. program is required to obtain this information on all children enrolled in the program. New Castle County Head Start, Inc. staff will work in partnership with parents to ensure that the required information is obtained.

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