For more than six decades, the Regional Economic Community Action Program (RECAP) has worked to support individuals and families in the region. Established in 1965, the nonprofit has developed a range of programs focused on education, health, human services, advocacy, and family support.
While RECAP has served the region for decades, its presence in Sullivan County is relatively new. In 2025, the nonprofit expanded into the county with its Head Start and Early Head Start programs, extending support to local children and families. RECAP now serves communities in both Orange and Sullivan counties, with a focus on early childhood development and helping families build a strong foundation for the future. In Sullivan County, RECAP currently operates Head Start and Early Head Start locations in Monticello and Woodbourne.
For Heather Decker, Early Childhood Development Director for RECAP Head Start, that work is personal. Decker has been with RECAP since 2009, beginning as a Head Start teacher before serving as an Education Manager and eventually moving into her current leadership role.
Her experience in the classroom continues to shape the way she approaches her work.
“I think being a teacher first keeps—I always put the children and families first in my mind when we’re looking at the needs of the community, needs of the program, and really making sure we have the staff there to support the children and families in their growth and journey,” Decker said.
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A mission built around families
That focus reflects RECAP’s broader mission. Established in 1965, the nonprofit organization works to empower people and communities challenged by poverty, racism, and social injustice through partnerships and a range of health, human services, education, advocacy, and other programs. Its goal is ultimately to help neighbors achieve self-sufficiency.
Head Start is one part of that larger mission.
In Orange County, RECAP Head Start serves children ages three to five. In Sullivan County, the program can begin supporting families during pregnancy and continue through the time children enter kindergarten. The goal is not simply to prepare children academically, but to support their development as a whole.
“We can provide that full lifespan development support for pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers to prepare them to be successful in school, to enter school on par with their peers,” Decker said.
That preparation includes language and literacy, early mathematics, physical development, gross motor skills, and social-emotional development.
Supporting the whole child
What distinguishes Head Start from a traditional preschool, Decker explained, is its comprehensive approach. Children receive health and developmental screenings, nutritious meals, oral health support, and mental health services. The program helps families keep up with physicals and immunizations, and children brush their teeth every day in the classroom.
The program also conducts hearing and vision screenings, social-emotional screenings, and cognitive screenings during the first 45 days after a child enrolls.
“We have comprehensive wraparound services and support for children with disabilities as well,” Decker said.
RECAP Head Start also works closely with families whose children may have developmental needs that have not yet been formally identified. Staff can make referrals for further evaluation and partner with local school districts and service providers so children can receive appropriate support.
Typically, children with disabilities make up about 20 percent of the program’s enrollment, according to Decker.
But Head Start’s focus extends beyond the classroom because, as Decker emphasized, “The family is the child’s first teacher.”
“At this age, children are part of a family first,” she said. “We know that they need that family support to go on to kindergarten and be successful.”
Family advocates work directly with parents to understand their needs and connect them with community resources. Families may receive assistance with goals related to employment, English-language learning, transportation, dental care, housing stability, education, and financial security.
Welcoming a changing community
The program also works to make families from different cultural and language backgrounds feel welcome. Teachers begin by visiting families in their homes, meeting them in a setting where they can learn about each family’s strengths and needs.
“They really get to know families as individuals, as a unit, and then they’re able to move forward and meet their needs,” Decker said.
RECAP also provides books in different languages, translates classroom materials when possible, and works with multilingual staff and community partners to help bridge language barriers.
As the community changes, so does the work. Decker said RECAP has seen an increase in the number of children entering the program with disabilities, while also welcoming families from increasingly diverse backgrounds. In Port Jervis, for example, the program has recently welcomed several families with Chinese backgrounds.
Community partnerships remain an important part of the organization’s work. Family advocates build relationships with local organizations and provide what Decker described as “warm handoffs,” helping families connect directly with resources rather than simply giving them a phone number or referral.
Building the future, one family at a time
RECAP’s long history was celebrated in 2025 as the organization marked its 60th anniversary. For Decker, the significance of that history can be measured in the lives touched along the way.
“I think it’s beautiful to have 61 years of impacted lives, you know, making sure that we really are building the future,” she said.
That idea of building the future also connects naturally to America’s 250th anniversary. A strong community, Decker said, begins with children and families who have the support they need to succeed.
“Head Start really is focused on children and families and continuing to support them to be self-sufficient, to enter school on par with their peers and to have a successful start to life,” she said.
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