UNDERSTANDING HEADSTART PROGRAMS

INTRODUCTION Head start programs are a directive directed at low income families. They provide comprehensive information and training of early childhood development, nutrition and healthcare (Berk 2006). The programs were launched to foster strong emotional ties and structural foundation for young pre-schoolers right from home all the way to school. By developing strong families it is expected that children will develop strong cognitive and mental skills.

History of Head Start The program was first launched as a six week summer initiative in 1965,headed by Dr. Cooke. The aim of the program was to develop comprehensive training programs that would allow families and pre-school instructions to cater for special needs children. 1966:the results of the initial program were published and the program was granted leave to operate for another year. 1969: head start was given the mandate to operate from the office of child development. Today it operated from the department of children and families in an effort to reach even more families. 1994: a new mandate focusing on the younger children that is from birth to three years was established. 2011: a record enrollment of one million children was reached.

History of head start (cont.) The initial desire for head start stemmed from the economic policy which showed a cycling and devastating patterns of poverty in low income families. Children born to these families had very low chances of succeeding with at least 80% ending up in the same economic conditions or worse. In order to bring about significant change, the process has to begin from the early stages. From pre-natal care all the way to pre-school, children need to be exposed to favorable conditions for their own success. In the year 2007, following extensive research on the importance of education in eradicating poverty, the program was re-established with bi-partisan policies and networks. Today, each state has several head start programs serving an even wider population . The poverty trends are increasingly reducing as children gain better education foundations.

Operations of head start Salkind (2002) states that head start has many operational programs. Early childhood includes pre-natal care and nutrition, infant and toddler development and family care. The program operates through partnerships with the low income families and the communities to identify the available resources which can be used to assist vulnerable children. The homeless children program provides education to the homeless children of all ages.

Child education and development Education at head start begins even before the child enters pre-school. Parents are equipped with material and information that can help to get their children school ready. Head start also offers pre-school programs which are more comprehensive than other programs. These programs focus on the importance of the parent and family in building a learning structure for the child and playing the role of first teacher. Services are often delivered by non-profit organizations which also provide grants for education for the most needy families and children. Head start has also introduced language and literacy services which are designed for both parents and young children.

Child education and development Research has called upon the education ministry to invest more in early education programs. In the past, focus has been on further education. Investment on the early childhood programs has been low. Curriculums and institutions for training teachers as well as childcare workers have not been properly established. However, with extensive care, researchers have proven that childhood education is vital for future economic improvement. Head start has made investment in young children possible and a cornerstone for development. This coupled with partnership with parents is policies that are set to bring success to low income families. The context in which a child is brought up is directly related to successful development.

Services to families and children Prenatal outcomes: mainly focuses on ensuring the health of the mother and that of the young infant, reducing birth defects and infant mortality. Child development: whose main aim is ensuring the all round development of the young toddler. Family partnerships: whose main focus is the parents, where they network and find support for any challenges they are going through. Migrant services: are programs which are more focused on ensuring proper development of seasonal worker’s children. Homeless care: ensures that challenges of children who are homeless are met.

Nutritional programs At the beginning of head start, the comprehensive program was more focused on enhancing education, however, with research showing the importance of nutrition to young toddlers focus is shifting to enhancing the nutritional status of young children. Parents are issued with pre-natal nutrition care which also includes dissemination of supplements to ensure proper development of the fetus Children are provided with necessary resources which is directed towards ensuring they get proper nutrition. In some cases, these includes providing meals while in others parents are trained on preparation of food. Head start includes visit to the doctors and pediatricians who can keep track of the child’s helath from birth until they leave the program (Lifshitz 1995) .

Parent involvement/partnerships (Hornby 2000) in their research found that the most important aspect of childhood development is parental involvement. Children whose parents are more involved in their care, school work and daily upbringing tend to perform better in school and socially. Based on this head start has developed programs that are focused on partnerships with parents. The programs provide parents with the right skills necessary to successfully become involved in their children’s development. One of the important aspects in the selection of a child is evidence that the parent is willing to become involved and go through the program with the child. Parents also form community support groups where they can learn new skills and help each other through difficult challenges. The support groups also work as networking centers.

Benefits of head start Engagement with parents: young children who have undergone the head start program are able to interact much better with their parents. This is not only for the first three years but indeed the program lays foundation for a good lifetime relationship between parents and children Development of excellent language skills: children are exposed to a variety of literacy lessons which are designed to improve their ability to learn new languages. Majority of head start children rate highly in language literacy at the beginning of pre-school. Young children are also able to develop highly social skills. They are able to master social development skills before pre-school. The program is beneficial in educating parents and giving them skills to become better parents involved in the development of their children.

Head start and head start Jeynes (2011)states that head start should in fact be renamed into ahead start. This is because the programs are designed to give children from low income failes, children that would otherwise be disadvantaged a step ahead of the others. The improving head start for school readiness act gave birth to the new head stsrt which is structured to get children school ready. In this case school ready is defined as the child being ready for school, the parent being ready for school and the school being ready for the head start child. Headstart services are available and structured to the different needs within the community. They are often available for at least 6 hours during the day. Head start staff often conduct home visits and training in orfdr to ensure that children are well placed for further development.

Conclusion Head start enagges families right from the start. This ensures that the families gain the right skills to support the child during their lifetime. Head start therefore as a program sets the ground for lifelong success and exemplary development of the child. Parents become partners in preparing for transition of the child from the home, to the pre-school and further even to new schools. This ensures that the child has the right skills to survive in the new environment and excel in the transition phase.

REFERENCES Berk, L. E. (2006). Child development. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Hornby, G. (2000). Improving parental involvement. London: Cassell. Jeynes, W. (2011). Parental involvement and academic success. New York: Routledge. Lifshitz, F. (1995). Childhood nutrition. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Salkind, N. J. (2002). Child development. New York: Macmillan Reference USA.