Riverbend Head Start & Family Services

Riverbend Head Start & Family Services Mission: To empower children and families to develop positive skills to meet life's challenges.

Since 1916, Riverbend Head Start & Family Services has been focused on improving the lives of mothers and children in our community. Now the agency serves the entire family through its Head Start and Early Head Start programs Services are provided at NO COST TO THE FAMILY. We serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers and pregnant moms living in Madison County, Illinois. We operate six centers with one

in Alton (618.463.5933), one in Bethalto (618.717.0625), one in Collinsville (618.345.9588), one in Edwardsville (618.692.9604) and two in Granite City (North 618.797.1547 or South 618.877.2102). Head Start: Early childhood education program for children ages three to five years old at one of our Head Start centers or in your home. Early Head Start: Home visitors visit pregnant women and families with children under three in their homes each week. To qualify, families must be income eligible, have a child with a diagnosed disability or be involved with the Department of Children and Family Services. To apply you need proof of income for last 12 months and proof of your child's date of birth. Riverbend Head Start & Family Services is a non-profit working to improve the lives of families through our early childhood development program and parenting education. Our mission is simple: to empower children and families to develop positive skills to meet life's challenges. We are committed to preparing your child for kindergarten and so much more. We want your family to be healthy and positioned to succeed in life. This is why we offer the following program services:

Heath
- Physical and dental exams with follow up treatment if necessary
- Nutritious meals and snacks
- Prenatal care
- Nutrition education

Education:
- Individual assessments
- Creative play
- Social skill development
- Learn & Play groups
- Field trips
- Age appropriate child activities
- Introduction to words & numbers

Social Services:
- Identify and link families to community resources
- Empower families to set and achieve goals
- Support families in problem solving

Parent Engagement:
- Support child's education at home
- Build confidence
- Develop leadership skills
- Parent meetings and workshops
- Parents as volunteers

Transportation is provided for most center-based activities, all home-based Learn & Play Groups and field trips.

The Edwardsville center had an end of year, family game night, celebration last night! Thank you to all of the families ...
05/19/2026

The Edwardsville center had an end of year, family game night, celebration last night! Thank you to all of the families that attended. What a great way to end the school year! We hope everyone has a great summer!

Congratulations to the next round of COFI graduates! This group has worked hard over the last 6 weeks and are ready to s...
05/18/2026

Congratulations to the next round of COFI graduates! This group has worked hard over the last 6 weeks and are ready to start working on their community goal. Be proud of all you've accomplished!

The Edwardsville Center would like to thank the Madison County Sheriff’s Department for bringing the rescue truck for us...
05/13/2026

The Edwardsville Center would like to thank the Madison County Sheriff’s Department for bringing the rescue truck for us to see! The kids were amazed!

Room 1 enjoying this weather while they work on their water study :)
05/12/2026

Room 1 enjoying this weather while they work on their water study :)

The Edwardsville classroom finished up the Gardening study and now learning about insects. We watched the life cycle of ...
05/12/2026

The Edwardsville classroom finished up the Gardening study and now learning about insects. We watched the life cycle of a butterfly and released them. The children love finding all the insects on the playground!

The staff and children at Granite City South wore pink today to honor a classmate who recently lost their parent. In a t...
05/12/2026

The staff and children at Granite City South wore pink today to honor a classmate who recently lost their parent. In a tragic time, everyone rallied to show care and support from our Head Start community! 🩷

Thank you parents for helping us show our support!

We have partnered with Metro East Mutual Aid as a donation drop off location for May. Stop by our location at 1848 E Bro...
05/05/2026

We have partnered with Metro East Mutual Aid as a donation drop off location for May. Stop by our location at 1848 E Broadway, Alton, IL to drop off diapers, wipes, and other baby essentials this month!

🚨 CALL TO ACTION: HOST A DONATION BOX! 🚨

Metro East Mutual Aid is gearing up for our May Baby Supply Donation Drive, and we need YOUR help!

📦 We’re looking for businesses, churches, schools, and organizations to host a donation box and serve as a collection site for baby supplies.

🗓️ May 1-May 31

This is a simple, powerful way to support families in our community and be part of mutual aid in action!

Interested in hosting? Email us at [email protected] today!

For more resources and volunteer opportunities, visit: https://linktr.ee/metroeastmutualaid

05/05/2026

Good morning from Room 1 at Collinsville!

The Edwardsville classroom has been busy this week planting green beans, sunflowers and corn. We have found several frie...
04/22/2026

The Edwardsville classroom has been busy this week planting green beans, sunflowers and corn. We have found several friends hanging out on our playground! As we are learning about gardening,they all know it takes sun, water and soil to make things grow!

04/16/2026

💛 Thank You to Our Incredible Donors! 💛

We’re grateful for every person, business, and community partner who has helped support our nonprofit in recent years. Your generosity—both monetary and in kind—helps us ensure that children and families across Madison County have access to the support, education, and resources they deserve.

Our donor support is essential to our mission and the impact it makes every single day. We’re also proud to highlight our major donors from the past couple of years, these are the people and organizations who continue to strengthen our community through their kindness.

✨ Thank you for believing in our work, our families, and our future. We couldn’t do this without you. 💛

Address

1848 E. Broadway
Alton, IL
62002

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+16184635946

Website

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