Health Federation's Early Head Start Hosts First Mid-Year Community Providers Breakfast

early head start partner breakfast

June 11, 2026

The Health Federation of Philadelphia's Early Head Start (EHS) Program proudly hosted its first-ever Mid-Year Community Providers Breakfast, bringing together community partners and program staff for a morning of networking, collaboration, and celebration.

The event, held June 5 at Early Head Start's Oxford Mills location, was created in response to feedback from community partners who attended the annual HFP Early Head Start Community Provider Networking Breakfast in December 2025. Many participants expressed interest in gathering more than once a year to strengthen partnerships, share updates, and learn about program progress.

The Mid-Year Breakfast was developed to meet that need and further enhance collaboration throughout the year.

The breakfast was attended by 18 community providers, along with members of the Early Head Start team. The event was coordinated by Charlene Heeney, Community Involvement Specialist, who also organized the highly successful annual networking breakfast held in December. Heeney served as hostess for the event and facilitated a presentation highlighting key accomplishments from the first half of the program year.

Among the program highlights shared were:

  • The successful completion of the program's Federal Monitoring Review
  • The annual Self-Assessment Process, which supports continuous quality improvement
  • The removal of the program's Chronically Underenrolled Designation by the Office of Head Start

The removal of the Chronically Underenrolled Designation represents a significant achievement for the program. This designation applies to programs that are unable to maintain funded enrollment levels over a designated period of time. Through the support of our dedicated community partners, who consistently referred eligible families to our program, Early Head Start successfully met and sustained its funded enrollment goals, resulting in the designation being lifted.

In addition to program updates, attendees participated in an interactive networking activity that provided an opportunity for each organization to share its mission, services, and goals. The activity encouraged meaningful conversations, strengthened professional connections, and increased awareness of resources available to families throughout the community.

The energy in the room was evident as providers exchanged ideas, celebrated successes, and explored opportunities for future collaboration. Participants especially enjoyed the networking activity and appreciated the opportunity to hear updates about the progress and impact of the Early Head Start program.

"HFP Early Head Start is grateful for the ongoing support and partnership of the many organizations that work alongside us to serve children and families," said Khadijah Muhammad, Director of the Early Head Start program. "Together, we are building stronger connections, expanding access to resources, and creating positive outcomes for our community.

"We look forward to continuing to strengthen these partnerships and growing our network of community providers in the years ahead," Muhammad said.

Participating organizations at the event were:

Those interested in Early Head Start enrollment can view the application link or contact Lisbel Madera at lmadera@healthfederation.org or 215-223-5200 ext. 155 for more information.

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About the Health Federation of Philadelphia

The Health Federation of Philadelphia is a public health nonprofit that promotes community health by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, comprehensive health and human services.

The Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver healthcare, public health and human services to vulnerable populations.

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This website is supported by Grant Number 03CH012936 from the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the Health Federation of Philadelphia and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.