Last year, United Way of King County funded several agencies throughout the county to offer the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) to 500 low-income families. PCHP is an evidence-based early childhood literacy, parenting and school-readiness program that uses trained paraprofessionals to work with families who have not had access to educational and economic opportunities, preparing children for academic success through home visiting. Six of the nine agencies that United Way funded offered this amazing program to the community for the first time last year and are eager to start their second year in October of this year. The agencies’ PCHP staff are currently in the process of recruiting families and additional staff as well as ordering the books and educational toys used as gifts to each family.

This program year, PCHP will be offered to 750 families in King County, from Carnation to West Seattle and from Kent to the north end. In addition to increasing the number of families that the program reaches, our grantee agencies plan to expand the geographic areas where the program will be offered. Neighborhood House, an agency that has been providing PCHP to families in the New Holly and Rainier Vista housing communities, will offer the program to families in the Yesler Terrace housing development as well. Children’s Home Society, which served a large number of families in Kent and other south-end communities, served a smaller number of families in the north end but has plans to serve more in the coming program year.

United Way is proud to support the agencies who do such an amazing job offering this program throughout King County. We look forward to continuing our support of them this year.

Click here for more information about the successful Parent-Child Home Program.