Explore the many services Head Start programs can provide to support families impacted by substance use. Learn how comprehensive services help families to increase stability and recover from addiction. Select this link to view more in the Head Start and the Opioid Crisis: Video Series.
Since its inception, the Head Start program has been responsive to addressing the emerging needs of families. Recent statistics show that up to 12% of children under 5 live with at least one parent with an alcohol or substance use disorder. Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families. They include health, nutrition, social, education, cognitive, and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments and developmental screenings. Services are designed to be responsive to each child and family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage. Head Start programs can be a valuable resource to families by helping them connect to services available in the community. Review how Head Start programs are responding to and supporting families impacted by substance use disorders.
The Impact of Substance Use on Children and Families Webinar Series
This three-part webinar series explores the effects of opioids on exposed infants and children. Find out how Head Start and Early Head Start programs can support children and families impacted by opioid and other substance use disorders.
Head Start and the Opioid Crisis: Overview of Head Start Services
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[MP4, 28 MB]
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Head Start and the Opioid Crisis: Overview of Head Start Services
[Music]
Voice 1: Opioid epidemic is taking a heavy toll on ...
Voice 2: Parents are addicted, locked up, or going into treatment ...
Voice 3: What happens to their children?
Ariel: I'm Ariel. I go by Ari, and I am a drug addict in recovery and a mom. [Laughter] Oh so sweet. Like, I could love my children more than anything in this world, but when I'm using drugs and alcohol, that doesn't matter anymore. All I remember is them being like, "We can't leave your child with you like this."
Robin Gersten: We're seeing a lot more children removed from the home. We're seeing children that are raised by grandparents or aunts or uncles.
Berta Velilla: I think we have realized that this is an issue that no individual agency can deal with alone.
Robin: We work with outside mental health agencies. We refer to neurologists, psychiatrists, developmental pediatricians.
Woman: We're referring them. We're also making sure it's kind of like a warm hand-off.
Karen Hargis: There's numerous organizations that come together and we all pretty much have the same mission statement of keeping children safe, making families stronger, and putting them in a community that's highly-functioning.
Woman: So, that trauma-informed care is really the basis of what we do.
Julie Herrmann: So, that collaboration is absolutely essential in providing the best services possible for the community.
Berta: We've seen many examples of individuals that are part of the Head Start family, our Head Start family, that have struggled, have gone through lots of ups and downs, but they make it. And many times, it's because of how much they care for their children. They want to be the parent that they used to be.
Ariel: And for them to be like, "OK, we see it. You're doing what you need to be doing, we're gonna give you back your child." Like that's huge. I can only imagine the pain that I've put people through. But god, am I happy that Head Start stuck by me. Because if they didn't, I wouldn't be here. He just wants his mama. He just wants his mama.
Julie: One of my favorite Mr. Rogers' quotes is, "Always look for the helpers." And, you know, we have a great team of helpers in our community that are working with our children and families who are in these difficult situations. Child: Please. Ice cream.
Julie: So there's always hope.
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Last Updated: January 26, 2022