Healthy Parents & Babies Program Details

Services to Pregnant People

Healthy Parents & Babies pairs pregnant people with doulas who provide information and support during pregnancy, birth and the first few weeks of life.

Our doulas help you:

  • Develop healthy prenatal routines, relaying advice on nutrition, health and wellness tips, resources and more.
  • Prepare for a successful pregnancy, labor and delivery by creating a birth plan, explaining what to expect when in labor and delivery, and sharing pain management options.
  • Establish strong bonds between you and your baby by providing breast/chest feeding support, bonding tips and resources.

Once your baby is born, you will have an option to enroll in our home visiting program. If you enroll, an assigned home visitor will help your new family continue building a strong relationship, providing information and coaching based on your family’s goals and needs.

Home Visits With Families

Home visitors from the Healthy Parents & Babies program help your family build a foundation for success through one-on-one home visits centered around your child’s development and growth. This approach provides a nurturing environment for your child’s academic, social and emotional skills, preparing them for kindergarten and beyond.

Our home visitors:

  • Provide weekly 90-minute home visits, at home or in your area, with customized lesson plans for your family.
  • Offer educational activities that help establish learning habits and encourage your child’s brain development.
  • Help with developing and maintaining healthy eating routines for your family.
  • Ensure your family is connected to necessary health services.

Community Resources

In addition to doula and home visiting services, Healthy Parents & Babies offers the following supplemental supports to families:

  • Prenatal groups, parent meetings and trainings
  • Events to socialize and interact with other children and parents
  • Literacy events
  • Male involvement groups
  • Limited transportation assistance
  • Services for children with diagnosed or suspected disabilities

Healthy Parents & Babies is an inclusive environment that helps families understand the requirements for Early Intervention in the Chicago Public Schools and the Lake County service area.

Baby boy laying on mothers chest

Program Eligibility

We serve the greater Chicagoland and suburban families prenatally through birth for our doula services and up to age 3 for our home visiting services. You must be pregnant to qualify for doula services but can be of any age and at any stage of pregnancy. You can qualify for home visiting services anytime after your baby is born until they turn 3 years old. Participation is not limited to first-time parents or new participants, but everyone must meet Early Head Start income eligibility guidelines.

Learn More

Healthy Parents & Babies Application Form

Thank you for your interest in enrolling in our Healthy Parents & Babies program, in Illinois.

We serve families prenatally through birth, and up to age 3 for their children. To get started in the enrollment process, please complete this initial application form and someone from our team will be in touch with you within 48 business hours. Once you submit your application, you will be redirected to a confirmation page with an “OK” button. Please click the “OK” button to continue to onto critical information about the enrollment process, contact details and documents you will need to collect to complete your enrollment process.

Note: Participation is not limited to first-time parents or new participants, but everyone must meet Early Head Start income eligibility guidelines in order to qualify.

Go to Form

About Our Head Start and Early Head Start Agencies

Our Head Start and Early Head Start agencies offer:

  • Social and emotional learning: This type of learning helps children understand and manage their feelings. Our programs use social and emotional learning to create a safe and caring environment that supports teamwork and social skills.
  • Family support services: Our team members help families find medical and dental care, keep health records up to date, set parent-child goals, and provide other important resources and referrals.
  • Diverse learner assistance and support: If your child has different learning needs and you want extra services, we help you understand the Early Intervention eligibility and coordinate services through your local school district.
  • Leadership opportunities: Parents can get involved in leadership roles in our agency and network committees and councils.

Eligibility

Income Requirements and Ages of Children Served

In order to qualify for our Head Start and Early Head Start services, you must meet the federal poverty guidelines and have a child, age five or younger, that you would like to enroll. You must be pregnant to qualify for doula services but can be of any age and at any stage of pregnancy. If your income is above the federal guidelines based on your family size, and/or your child is older than five years of age, you will not qualify for our programs.

Federal Poverty Guidelines

Head Start & Early Head Start Application Form

Please note that this is not an application for CPS or CEL programming.

Start Early partners with Head Start and Early Head Start agencies that deliver doula, home visiting and center-based programs in Chicago, Suburban Cook County and Lake County. We provide services for pregnant people and children prenatally through birth to age 5.

To get started in the enrollment process, please complete this initial contact form and someone will be in touch with you within 48 business hours. Once you submit your application, you will be redirected to a confirmation page with an “OK” button. Please click the “OK” button to continue to onto critical information about the enrollment process, contact details and documents you will need to collect to complete your enrollment process.

Note: Income is an eligibility requirement for our Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Go to Form

Educare Chicago was founded by Start Early in 2000 as an innovative early learning program serving infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families on Chicago’s South Side.

Educare pairs the latest research with intensive family engagement to promote school readiness and help families work towards their goals. A pioneer and innovator in early childhood education from the very beginning, Educare Chicago has inspired the development of the Educare Learning Network, a nationwide network of birth-to-age 5 schools.

Visit EducareChicago.org