More than two dozen families gathered at the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s Early Head Start community site on Friday, August 17 for a Health Fair and Family Fun Day themed “Boardwalk to Better Health.” Located in the Oxford Mills complex at 100 W. Oxford Street, the event boasted more than 20 vendors who provided resources to families, health screenings for adults, dental screenings for children performed by students from the University of Pennsylvania, and lots of fun activities for both youngsters and adults.
Over 50 children were in attendance with their parents and guardians and they enjoyed playing games, creating arts and crafts, splashing around at a water table, having their faces painted, story time, and a beach-themed photo station.
Event organizer Judy Snow couldn’t be happier about the successes of the event and is thankful for both her team and the outstanding community support which she credits as the driving force behind the fun-filled day “The EHS Health Fair/Family Fun Day was a major event that doesn’t happen often – this was the first one we’ve hosted in more than 15 years. The fair was strategically organized by the Early Head Start staff with the support of the Health Federation. The community sponsors and vendors who came together to support this program are what made this event a success. Our goal was to engage families with their children, connect families to resources, and to have some fun – and we did just that,” said Snow.
Early Head Start is a federally-funded child development and family support program for pregnant women and families with children birth to 3 years old. HFP’s program is home-based and provides comprehensive services including early childhood education, health, nutrition, and family support. In addition, Early Head Start connects families to community resources and meets the special needs of children with disabilities.
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