Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education: History, Theories and Approaches to Learning, 2 nd Edition © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Head Start and Early Head Start: Empowering Change From Within Chapter 6

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-2 Starting Questions Who do you think should be responsible for providing food and medical care for children? What elements do you think should be part of the optimal home, school, and community environments for children?

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-3 Early Intervention Programs A term used to refer to programs for children who are living in conditions that include one or more risk factors for possible future school or life problems. The overarching goals of early intervention programs are to provide developmentally appropriate, stimulating, individualized learning experiences that foster social and literacy skills and comprehensive health services for families and children living in poverty or with disabilities.

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-4 Research Support Through widespread research, risk factors for later school and social problems have been identified: Living in poverty Single-parent household Teenage mother Low parent education level Parent unemployment Low birth weight Disability

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-5 Influences Social equality movement Equal opportunities for all races Increased opportunities for women Increased accessibility of quality programs for lower SES children Brain Development Research Critical periods in early childhood Rich, stimulating, early experiences lay foundation for later healthy development

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-6 Support at Government Level Recognizing the need to empower lower-SES families in order to maintain global competitiveness, President Johnson developed War on Poverty initiatives (funding) Project Head Start began in 1965 Preschool program and health services for families qualified as low-income (federal poverty guidelines)

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-7 Project Head Start Comprehensive program Preschool program, half or full day Nutrition component Developmental screenings Health, cognitive development, mental health Health services provided or coordinated Medical, dental, mental health Parent and community involvement key Home visits promote family communication

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-8 Program Details Objectives and guidelines are broad, to allow for maximum community integration Annual funding tops $6.87 billion Serving over 908,400 children annually (2008) Expanded to include children with disabilities in 1972 Expanded again to include birth to 3-year- olds in 1995

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6-9 Broad Mission In addition to preschool and wellness services for children, Head Start programs also seek to support and work with the community Parents are strongly encouraged to participate: In classrooms On advisory boards Home visits

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Program Standards Qualified, trained teaching staff Developmentally-based program Socialization, social skill-building Balance of teacher-directed instruction and child-initiated play Daily authentic literacy experiences Hands-on exploration of materials and experiences

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Effectiveness Ongoing research studies report that while children enter Head Start significantly behind more affluent peers, the gap is reduced through program participation Participation also positively impacted social development and behavior Early Head Start research also indicates positive effects in family relationships and early social development

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Current Trends In an ongoing effort to improve child outcomes and ensure family success, Head Start has implemented some new goals : Increasing numbers of teachers holding both 2-year and ultimately 4-year degrees Increasing accountability through national testing and student outcome reporting

Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2 nd Edition Follari © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Reflection Questions Can you foresee any problems with the administration of early intervention programming? (Diverse cultural values, talking with parents about sensitive issues like poverty and employment status…) How would you manage goals of maintaining an inclusive class, individualizing for all children, reaching out to families (in school and in their homes), and keeping your own education and training updated?