Early head start

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Maternity Care Coalition Inc. $7.382 million on February 1, 2026, under the Early Head Start program (CFDA 93.600) to deliver early childhood services in Pennsylvania through January 31, 2031.

Maternity Care Coalition will provide home visiting programs, parenting education, case management, health and nutritional support, child healthcare coordination, and school readiness programming to pregnant women, infants, and toddlers across Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties. The organization specializes in serving high-risk populations with complex needs including trauma, perinatal depression, substance abuse, interpersonal violence, and criminal justice involvement. Services are delivered by community health workers known as "Advocates" and include support at Riverside Correctional Facility for Women.

The Early Head Start program promotes school readiness and enhances cognitive, physical, behavioral, and social-emotional development of children through educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. Awards under this program run for five-year periods, during which recipients are measured against criteria determining eligibility for renewal. The Office of Head Start issues awards through ten regional offices responsible for geographically assigned states and territories.