Head Start Services serves children ages 3 to 5 through a 10-month program that closely follows local school calendars. The school day is from 8:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Head Start is a United States Department of Health and Human Services program that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families.

Our Head Start program is intended to meet the individual needs of each child. Every child receives a variety of learning experiences that enhance their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth.

Classroom materials, activities, and practices fulfill this design by:

• Curricula that offer various experiences and grounded in best early childhood practices and cultural variety.
• Teaching techniques that allow for flexibility in the program day and maximize children’s teachable moments.
• Indoor and outdoor play.
• Planned activities for all developmental areas and curriculum domains.
• Encouraging children to express their feelings and negotiate conflict.
• Inclusion of parents in curriculum planning and volunteer staffing to provide low child-to-staff ratios.
• Implementing curriculum and transition activities that ensure maximum developmental continuity for the children.
• Environments rich in language, literacy, math, and science.

A unique feature and benefit of the Head Start program are the home visits conducted by our teaching staff to each child’s home. Through this feature, Head Start is able to address the child within the context of their family unit to develop a better understanding of the child and to better serve the child’s first teacher, their parents, or guardian.

Children are formally assessed 3 times during the program year for Head Start in all developmental areas. Ongoing assessment is completed for each child, and activities planned that will meet their individual goals. The results of these screenings and assessments are shared with and explained to parents on home visits and in parent conferences. Assessment data is analyzed each period to determine what areas need program improvement. Our program also offers an academic interventionist who works directly with four-year-old children advancing to kindergarten that need additional one-on-one or small group activities to enhance various learning areas.

At least 10% of enrollment opportunities are available to children with disabilities or developmental delays. Head Start makes a special commitment to ensure that young children with disabilities are provided with an enriching and accepting learning environment.