WELCOME TO MCCC

What is Mid-Columbia Children's Council, Inc.?
MCCC includes Head Start, Early Head Start, ECEAP, and OREGON PRE-K programs in Oregon (Hood River, Wasco and Jefferson Counties) and Washington (Skamania and Klickitat Counties).

Head Start and Early Head Start
The Head Start program is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social, emotional and cognitive development of children ages 3-5 through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school.

The Early Head Start program was established to serve children from birth to three years of age in recognition of the mounting evidence that the earliest years matter a great deal to children's growth and development.

All Head Start programs engage parents in their children's learning and help them in making progress toward their educational, literacy and employment goals. Significant emphasis is placed on the involvement of parents in the administration of local Head Start programs.

Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten (OPK)
The Oregon Head Start Prekindergarten (OPK) program was established in 1987 as the state counterpart to the federal Head Start program. The state's Department of Education and the regional Head Start office govern the program collaboratively. OPK adheres to all federal Head Start Performance Standards.

OPK was established to serve every three and four year old whose family income was below 100 percent of the federal poverty threshold. State funding is granted to all federal Head Start programs in the state as well as private and community providers and schools that meet the program requirements.  Current funding levels only enable the joint federal-state program to serve 60 percent of eligible three and four year olds living in poverty.

Early Childhood & Education Assistance Program (ECEAP)
The Early Childhood & Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) is funded by the State of Washington Department of Early Learning (DEL)

ECEAP provides quality early childhood education that helps children succeed in school...and beyond.  Children have fun learning in a safe and healthy environment that is designed especially for four-year-olds.