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__** A "//Heads Up//" on the Head Start Program **__ Presented by Rebecca Calvi, Michelle Flam, Sarah Marshall, Meryl Rubin and Jennifer Scalabrino

(After viewing video, hitting the back arrow key will bring you back to the Wiki) //**
 * // (Below is a link to a great video titled "Head Start Education")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF8XbaAr7t8

__**Program Description:**__ The Head Start program provides grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies providing comprehensive child development services to low income or disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. In conjunction with the Head Start (HS) program, there is also the Early Head Start Program (EHS) which was established to serve children from birth to three years of age. The development of this second division of the program was implemented based on the significant amount of evidence that a child's earliest years matter a great deal to a child's growth and development.


 * __I) Full Name of Program:__** National Head Start Association (NHSA) www.nhsa.org

The National Head Start Association is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the Head Start Children and their families.
 * Administered by the Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
 * Grants awarded for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at the community level
 * Represents more than 1 million children nationwide
 * 200,000 HS staff members
 * 2,600 Head Start programs in the U.S.

__**II) Teaching/Learning Philosophy for the Head Start Program**__

Created in 1965, Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. It's estimated that nearly 25 million pre-school aged children have benefited from Head Start. According to the association's mission, " Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families."


 * __III) Main Philosophical Tenets of the Head Start Program__**


 * I. Promoting school readiness:** By enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services
 * II. Significant emphasis on parent involvement:** The program focuses on engaging parents in their children's learning and progress towards, educational, literacy and employment goals
 * III. Special focus on providing services for the entire family:** Services are available such as job training, child rearing courses and crisis intervention




 * __IV-a) Key Research supporting the Head Start Program__**

Congress commissioned the DHHS (Dept. of Health and Human Services) to conduct a national study titled, "The National Head Start Impact Study*." This study (2002-2006) had two primary goals:

Goal # 1: To determine nationally how Head Start affects the school readiness of children participating in the program as compared to children not enrolled in Head Start Goal # 2: To determine under which conditions Head Start works best and for which children
 * NOTE: The National Head Start Impact Study involved approximately 5,000 three and four year old preschool children across 84 nationally representative communities. The children participating were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (which had access to HS services) or a comparison group (which did not have access to HS services, but could receive other community resources.


 * __IV-b) Key Findings based on a number of research initiatives:__**

> >
 * I. Wise Investment in the Community:**
 * On average, society receives nearly $9 in benefits for every $1 invested in HS children. Benefits include increased earnings, employment and family stability
 * Significant reduction in crime, welfare dependency, grade repetition and special education
 * II. Educational Benefits:**
 * Performed better on cognitive, language and health measures than their comparison group counterparts (based on study funded by DHHS)
 * Increased achievement test scores and experienced favorable long-term effects avoiding grade repetition, special education and higher graduation rates
 * Early Head Start (EHS) children at age 3 had larger vocabularies than the control group children had; also demonstrating a higher level of social-emotional development
 * III. Health Benefits:**
 * Improving the health and well-being of HS children and their families, providing health and dental services
 * Greater quality of life satisfaction, healthier coping skills
 * Decreased feelings of anxiety, depression and sickness
 * Early Head Start (EHS) children had a higher immunization rate (approx. 8% higher) than the children in the control group

__**V) Main Components of the Head Start Program:**__

> >
 * Eligibility Requirements:**
 * Children from birth to age five from low income families, according to the Poverty Guidelines published by the federal government
 * Children in foster care,homeless children and children from families receiving public assistance (TANF or SSI) eligible, regardless of income
 * Children's Program includes:**
 * A variety of educational activities, with a focus on early reading and math skills
 * Free medical and dental care, healthy meals and snacks, playing indoors and outdoors in a safe environment
 * Specialized services offered to meet the special needs of children with disabilities
 * Family Support Services:**
 * Training classes such as child rearing, job training, health/nutrition
 * Literacy and ELL classes available for HS family members
 * Crisis counselors available for family members dealing with substance abuse, job loss and other family crisis
 * Daily routine for the majority of Head Start Programs (programs may vary):**
 * Half-day, center-based program that offers bus rides to and from home
 * Emphasis on circle time and small group activities, encouraging communication skills
 * Safe and clean playground and outdoor environment
 * Provided with a nutritious lunch and an emphasis on practicing good hygiene- i.e. hand washing and brushing teeth after lunch
 * __VI) The Teacher's Role in Facilitating Learning__**


 * NHSA's expectations of a Head Start Teacher**

Patrica Brown, Acting Director of Head Start stated the following in a 2008 Information Memorandum: "Positive interactions between adults and children, and between children and their peers are among the key elements of overall classroom quality. Teaching teams can be instrumental in fostering the development and maintenance of positive social interactions and a pro-social environment. Strategies that support such interactions are well-researched and documented in early childhood research and other publications. Building strong adult-child relationships is foundational to young children's school readiness, future achievement, and success later in life. Strong positive relationships with teachers and other adult caregivers within environments that validate the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of children foster positive opportunities for the development of social competence and academic growth. Promoting positive adult-child relationships is vital for three interrelated reasons:
 * social relationships form the bases for life-long learning
 * social competence is integrally related to academic success
 * prevention of social and academic difficulties is more effective than remediation"


 * Parents'** **Expectations of a Head Start Teacher**

Based on a video, in which you heard the parents' perspective on the role of the teachers, the particular Head Start program featured works to foster and facilitate learning by: > >
 * Emphasizing a structured curriculum
 * Providing a very warm and welcoming for children of all ethnicities and background
 * Major push for parents or caregivers to be as involved to be involved in the learning process as possible
 * Focus on providing a lot of "1 on 1" time with the children
 * The OECE* constantly assesses the teachers through an assessment tool known as the "Continuous Improvement Cycle". The cycle consists of gathering evidence, analyzing this evidence, suggesting improvements and then implementing these changes. It's an ongoing assessment that cycles continuously, and it has been argued that the constant amount of requested adjustments to the program is actually counter-productive.
 * __VII) The Child's Role in Engaging or "Co-Constructing" the Curriculum / How are their lives "reflected"?__**

FYI: The term "co-constructing a curriculum" is an informal learning model in which teachers seek their students' views and opinions and customize the curriculum around their feedback and interests. The idea is to help teachers develop their understanding of students’ learning experiences, motivations, and their own perceptions of how their skills and knowledge are developing. Where appropriate, students’ views can also guide teachers in adjusting their approaches..

So, in terms of co-constructing the curriculum, it's important to keep in mind that the Head Start students are of preschool age and have just begun their educational path. Although they may be a little too young to verbalize their preferences, children of this age can certainly display sign that they're receptive or unreceptive to particular curriculum content or learning style.

The Head Start Program attempts to prepare children developmentally to ensure school readiness. The program does so by not only incorporating content knowledge presented in schools, but emphasizes the importance of family as well as the individual child. Parents are seen as active participants in the child's road of education. That being said, this particular program recognizes the need to establish strong and meaningful relationships with these teachers. This idea is further expanded upon when involving the culture of the child as well. The theory behind this is that a child most strongly identifies with his or her family and the culture that he or she experiences at home. In order to truly make a curriculum effective, that culture must be incorporated with schooling experiences.

The Head Start Program addresses social-emotional development by focusing on the individuality of the child. The child must truly look inward and reflect on his or her individual personality. The program encourages the child to construct a positive self-identity by celebrating their unique characteristics.The following list addresses some of these characteristics.

• Language • Dress • Diet and style of eating • Name • Physical features • Celebrations • Gender • Age • Social Group

While individuality is emphasized, the idea of being a member of group is also incorporated. The individual child in encouraged to reflect upon how he or she feels as a member of either a family or community.Tolerance is also stressed within the curriculum in order to reflect the lives of children either within the community or elsewhere.

Parents play a huge role in the Head Start Program. Parent Resource Aides and Parent Aides are familiar terms within the program. Parents with these titles give back to the program by updating parent bulletin boards or helping during mealtime. Furthermore, Parent Resource Aides provides training information and share information on community resources. They complement the idea of bridging education and community. Having parents play such a role in the child's education provides a more well-rounded curriculum.

​__**VIII) Building Relationships with the Head Start Classroom**__

Classroom interaction is generally initiated by HS teachers and staff upon the children’s arrival. Teachers are expected to greet each child with warm smiles and friendly voices, thus setting the tone for the day.

Throughout the school day, teachers should practice the following: Acknowledge children for their accomplishments and effort (Above list taken from the Child Care Bureau’s educational series “What Works Briefs: Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships”.)
 * Engage in one-to-one interactions with children
 * Get on the child’s level for face-to-face interactions
 * Use a pleasant, calm voice and simple language
 * Provide warm, responsive physical contact
 * Follow the child’s leas and interest during play
 * Help children understand classroom expectations
 * Redirect children when they engage in challenging behavior
 * Listen to children and encourage them to listen to others

Relationships are established as the teacher routinely interacts with parents and children in positive, caring, and supportive ways. The relationship between the teacher and family is essential to the Head Start classroom since the program’s main objective is to influence future success outcomes for children. Trusting, positive relationships built in the classroom have been associated with:

· children being able to defy the odds of living in poverty · children being involved in school · low levels of aggression · higher social skills of preschoolers · students with high levels of social skills such as completing work, tolerating frustration, and interacting with peers · lower symptoms of anxiety, depression and social withdrawal in first grade · preschoolers knowing more letters, having higher math scores and advanced language and literacy skills · better cognitive skills among preschoolers (Above list compiled from an ACF Information Memorandum on The Importance of Teacher-Child Relationships in Head Start.)

It is the teachers’ responsibility to initiate and establish healthy classroom relationships that are built on trust and compassion. Experiencing the model of the teachers’ behavior, children learn how to interact and to establish/maintain relationships of their own. The teacher-parent relationship is also highly stressed in Head Start since the program offers a variety of social and health services to the entire family in order to ensure the child’s success in all arenas in his/her life.


 * __IX) "Shared Teaching and Learning" in the Head Start Classroom__**


 * Teachers' Goal for The Head Start Classroom Model**
 * To Create an environment where the child can achieve his/her potential for optimal social, intellectual, emotional, and physical growth and development.
 * To Provide an environment where each child is seen as a unique individual who continues to be shaped by his/her social and cultural environment.
 * To Encourage each child to be the active partner in the learning process
 * To Create a curriculum based on the child’s individual needs and interests with a balance of child-initiated and teacher-directed activities.
 * A Look at The Head Start Classroom**
 * Average class size 17-20 children
 * About 2-3 highly qualified teachers in each classroom (depending on the Center) allowing for more one-on-one with the students
 * Teachers have on-going training
 * Head teacher has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education
 * Head Start Statistics**
 * Danville, VA requires each child entering Kindergarten and the public schools to take a Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening test which assesses the level to which children enter and progress through school. Those in Head Start registered higher than those who did not attend Head Start
 * Studies have shown that Head Start Children perform higher on reading achievement, vocabulary, language skills, concept development, and social adaptive behavior.


 * __X) The Benefits of incorporating the program in our classroom__**

The Head Start Program is beneficial for children because it provides a strong foundation in appropriate academic and social skills. These skills are essential for the child's long-term academic success.
 * HS curriculum supports family structure.
 * HS helps facilitate employment and medical needs for the child's family.
 * HS provides children and families with strong ties to their communities.
 * HS curriculum provides children with the social and developmental academic skills to be successful in kindergarten.
 * HS caters to the emotional needs of children.
 * Major aspect of the HS curriculum is to teach children by doing and experiencing.
 * The program fosters a love of learning that encourages children to participate in school.
 * HS curriculum focuses on language and literacy development and basic mathematical and scientific knowledge giving children a jump start for elementary school.
 * The curriculum incorporates song, art, dance, call and response, and story telling to solidify concepts and main ideas.
 * HS curriculum teaches proper nutrition and hygiene which encourages children to carry out these activities in kindergarten.


 * __XI: Taking a Critical Look at the Head Start Program__**

Although Head Start has been honored in many circles for their work with children and their families, this program has received its share of criticisms as well:
 * HS has received a lot of complaints that the standardized exam administered to the 3 and 4 yr olds is developmentally inappropriate and poorly designed.
 * Under the Bush Administration, a House bill introduced on May 22, 2003 proposed to dismantle Head Start by turning it over to states, of which only three have any track record with providing Head Start’s comprehensive services. The Head Start Association was adamantly against this and claimed that the Bush Administration was actually using "scare tactics" of job loss for the HS administration and staff.
 * A group of Head Start teachers have voiced their own complaints that they are \ faced with stringent state and local regulatory challenges that may drastically affect their instructional style
 * The HS current assessment tool, "The Continuous Improvement Cycle" has been criticized for it's relentless continuity that leads to a constant, never-ending chain of adjustments that most HS educators feel are actually counter-productive.
 * Has not stopped poverty in its tracks.
 * Goals have become less ambitious over time.
 * "Head Start now has the overall goal of "increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families," according to the Head Start bureau. Yet studies show that Head Start has not been able to meet even this boiled-down expectation"
 * Net gain for children is 0 in the Head Start program. "In 1985 the Department of Health and Human Services undertook the first meta-analysis of Head Start research and shook the establishment with its dire findings: "In the long run, cognitive and socioemotional test scores of former Head Start students do not remain superior to those of disadvantaged children who did not attend Head Start."

__**HEAD START EXECUTIVES ADDRESS SOME OF THE CRITICS AND MYTHS ABOUT THE PROGRAM**__

(Yasmina Vinci is executive director of the National Head Start Association in Alexandria, VA. This was her direct response addressing the persistent myths that have endangered Head Start and have made it vulnerable to budget cuts)


 * Myth:** Head Start is ineffectual.
 * Fact:** Head Start is one of the best-documented success stories in the federal government. Studies show that Head Start generates benefits that exceed its costs. Our society receives nearly $9 in benefits for every $1 dollar invested in Head Start children, according to the preliminary results of a longitudinal study of more than 600 Head Start graduates in San Bernardino County, Calif. These projected benefits include increased earnings, employment and family stability; and decreased welfare dependency, crime costs, grade repetition and special education. Head Start benefits its children and society at large by reducing crime and its costs to crime victims. Head Start children are significantly less likely to have been charged with a crime than their siblings who did not participate in Head Start.


 * Myth:** Head Start programs are shoddy and don’t measure the right things, such as kindergarten readiness.
 * Fact:** The federal government probably has more information on the quality of Head Start programs than it does for our major banks undergoing stress tests. Two nationally representative studies from 2003 and 2005 -- the Head Start Impact Study and the Family and Child Experiences Survey, respectively -- reveal that Head Start programs are of consistently good quality. Head Start assesses the kindergarten-readiness of its students through locally based assessments and through multiple nationally representative studies of the children enrolled in Head Start. The Head Start Impact Study found statistically significant positive impacts for 3- and 4-year-old enrolled children on pre-reading, pre-writing, vocabulary and parent reports of children’s literacy skills."

__ **Miscellaneous** __
__ (Above taken from www.acf.org)
 * The total government cost in FY2007 was $6,888,363,725.It is estimated that in FY2008, it cost the government $6,877,975,000.
 * The total enrollment nationwide for FY2007 was 908,412.
 * In FY2007, there were 49,400 classrooms spread over 18,275 centers.
 * The average cost per child was $7,326.
 * There was 220,000 paid staff members, with 1,384,000 volunteers nationwide.
 * During the 2005-2006 Head Start Program Year** __
 * 12.2 percent of the Head Start enrollment consisted of children with disabilities, (mental retardation, health impairments, visual handicaps, hearing impairments, emotional disturbance, speech and language impairments, orthopedic handicaps and learning disabilities).
 * Nearly 48,000 children participated in home-based Head Start program services.
 * 74 percent of Head Start teachers have at least an AA degree in Early Childhood Education. 27 percent of Head Start program staff members were parents of current or former Head Start children. Nearly 910,000 parents volunteered in their local Head Start program.
 * 93 percent of Head Start children had health insurance. 85 percent of those with health insurance were enrolled in the Medicaid/Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program or a state sponsored child health insurance program.
 * The 1994 reauthorization of the Head Start Act established the Early Head Start program for low-income families with infants and toddlers. In Fiscal Year 2007, $689 million was used to support more than 650 programs which provided Early Head Start child development and family support services in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. These programs served nearly 62,000 children under the age of three.
 * More than 225,000 Head Start fathers participated in organized regularly scheduled activities designed to involve them in Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
 * 86 Head Start and Early Head Start Programs were sponsored by faith-based organizations.

Please post questions or comments here

Sources:

www.nhsa.org http://www.aiu3.net/Level3.aspx?id=674 http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/Program%20Design%20and%20Management/Head%20Start%20Requirements/IMs_and_PIs_in_PDF/PDF_IMs/IM2008/ACF-IM-HS-08-21.pdf http://www.eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/.../Program%20Design%20and%20Management/.../ Program%20Planning/HeadStartCurri.htm http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/legislation/HS_act.html http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/briefs/wwb12.html http://headstart.seta.net/index2.htm http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/Program%20Design%20and%20Management/Head%20Start%20Requirements/IMs_and_PIs_in_PDF/PDF_IMs/IM2008/ACF-IM-HS-08-21.pdf http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/Program%20Design%20and%20Management/Head%20Start%20Requirements/IMs_and_PIs_in_PDF/PDF_IMs/IM2008/ACF-IM-HS-08-21.pdf http://www.acf.hhs.gov.programs/opre/hs/impact_study/imptstudy_overview.html#overview http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/081FD64E-1D09-3519-ADC7E878DDB5CEC9/REDFactSheets1.pdf http://www.cato.org/research/education/articles/stopheadstart.html http://my.nhsa.org/press/News_Archived/index_news_052803.htm http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2007/03/19/preschoolers_test_may_be_suspended/ http://www.headstartva.org/news/oped_vinci.htm http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/A97D606C-1D09-3519-AD7E2646D5EA7CDB/08FactSheetHSBasics.pdf http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/nationally_st%0D%0Aatistics_show_head_start_programs_work/11436/ http://www.nhsa.org/files/static_page_files/A97D0E16-1D09-3519-AD6A427CB89EA478/08FactSheetHSWorks.pdf http://headstart.siuc.edu/classroom.html http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/For%20Parents/Inside%20Head%20Start/Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20(FAQs)/HowdoIapplyfo.htm http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/57/7d.pdf http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/about/fy2008.html

Addl Info for Group:

El Caballo Group (Book Critique: Paley, V.)

Members: Rebecca Calvi* Michelle Flam Sarah Marshall Meryl Rubin Jennifer Scalabrino