Heidi’s Story About Head Start and SCHIP

When my youngest son was 2 ½, I left his father. This left us in a terrible economic situation in a city where I knew nobody. I was unable to receive any help because I worked mandatory overtime and was thus barely over the income limit.

My children and I went on Badgercare,* and because of the comprehensive nature of the program I was able to actually take my children to the doctor when they needed to go. His new doctor was able to diagnose him with chronic ear infections that I didn’t even know he had. I was able to take him to the specialist and he was able to have two operations that saved his hearing.

After his hearing was restored, I contacted the local Head Start program. They tested his speech and immediately enrolled him in the program mid-semester. When he started the program he was two weeks shy of his fourth birthday and barely speaking at the level of a two year old. One year later, he was speaking at a level advanced for his age and was removed from the special needs speech program.

These programs have saved my son’s hearing and given him a normal life.

*The BadgerCare program is a health insurance program (with costs shared between the state and federal government) that provides health coverage to low-income, uninsured families with children under the age of 19 who are not eligible for Medicaid but cannot afford to buy insurance. Nationally, the program is referred to as SCHIP or The State Children’s Health Insurance Program.