Division of Service Demonstration Projects

Goals and Domains

• Develop and implement quality service models that improve outcomes for children and families.
• Promote participant-designed and governed programs, and community-designed efforts to improve outcomes for its citizens, particularly children and their families.
• Integrate services and evaluation to improve programs, and identify and disseminate lessons learned to a broad audience.
• Provide assistance to providers and community groups to build capacity to improve outcomes for children.

Themes and Projects

• Early Head Start - federally and Heinz funded intense, individualized, comprehensive services to pregnant women, infants/toddlers (up to age three) and their parents to insure positive child outcomes. Services 170 families in Clairton, Sto-Rox, the Hill District, and the East End of Pittsburgh in collaboration with community-based agencies. Family Foundations Early Head Start in collaboration with Peacelinks, www.peacelinks.us, is supporting parents for peaceful lifestyles.
• Partnerships for Family Support - County and Heinz funded project with two primary responsibilities:
  • Provide training and technical assistance to the 30 family support centers of Allegheny County
  • Provide leadership and staff support to the infrastructure of the family support system including the Family Support Policy Board and its committees (Executive, Quality Assurance, and Advocacy), the Roundtable, Site Directors Network, and Community Voices.
• STARS Technical Assistance (TA) - state and Heinz funded project, contracted through the Southwest Regional Key, providing a specialized consultation service to support the early childcare and education practitioners in the Keystone STARS quality improvement program who are working to achieve higher STARS levels.  Keystone STARS provides resources, including TA, to assist in improving quality, recognizes quality early learning programs, establishes standards for performance, and provides financial incentives to programs.
  • STARS TA may take many forms, including individualized and on-site assistance to facilities aimed at helping them achieve a specified knowledge area of performance expectation of the Keystone STARS Performance Standards.
  • STARS TA supports children with special needs in early care and education settings. Infants and toddlers receive support through an Infant/Toddler Mental Health Specialist and preschoolers through developmental and mental health consultants.