Easter Seals Disability Services

Head Start  

Download A 2008 Application Here
(English)
(Espanol)

History
Established by Congress in 1965, Head Start is a comprehensive child development program designed to promote school readiness by fostering healthy development in low-income children and their families.

Head Start is the only national program of its kind that utilizes a comprehensive service approach to early childhood education.  The Head Start program is based on the premise that all children share certain needs, and that children of low-income families in particular can benefit from a comprehensive program of services and support.

These comprehensive services include three major areas of concentration:

• Health, Nutrition & Disabilities Services
• Early Childhood Development
• Family & Community Partnerships

Health, Nutrition & Disability Services

Head Start works to provide comprehensive support in preventative healthcare services.  Early Identification of health related needs assures that every child receives medical, dental, mental health and nutritional care. 
Each child has a screening within 45 days of entering the program to assess health and educational needs.

Early Childhood Development

Head Start is designed to meet the needs of each child through an individualized strength based curriculum of multiple learning disciplines which promote and encourage social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth and development.  Head Start has a strong focus on literacy and language development. 

The teachers work includes:

• Developing phonemic print and numeric awareness
• Understanding the use of oral language
• Identification of at least ten letters of the alphabet 
• Association of sounds with written words 

• Assisting non-English speaking children with the acquisition of the English language

Family and Community Partnerships

The Head Start approach actively involves parents in the program.

This is done though:

• Establishing written partnerships with families, focusing on strengths and goals for the future.
• Membership on the Policy Council which governs each program. 
• Home visits by the Head Start staff which provide opportunities for parents and staff to learn more about each other and strengthen the home-school connection. 
• Parent opportunities for volunteering in the classroom on a regular basis, which fosters an understanding of a child’s day and learning experiences. 

• Parent education activities and programs, planned with parental input, and made available to all Head Start parents.

Inclusive Education

A growing body of evidence from research demonstrates that young children with disabilities benefit from service delivery in quality educational programs provided in inclusive environments.

Research also shows that the presence of children with disabilities in early childhood classrooms has a positive impact on the developmental progress of all children.  A Head Start classroom offers a diverse learning environment. 

Head Start Program Performance Standards

These standards evolved from the application of research and effective educational approaches for quality early childhood programs.  Based on evidence from this research, the program standards guide the operation of all Head Start programs.  By adhering to these standards, Head Start programs can ensure early childhood program quality.

Collaboration

Head Start programs strive to provide a broad continuum of services to meet the needs of all their children and families.  Sometimes the scheduling and service needs of a Head Start family cannot be met by the program alone.  In this case many Head Start programs build partnerships with other early childhood programs and agencies to empower families to access services offered within their community.

For more information please contact:

Head Start
398 Liberty Street
Meriden, CT 06450-4529
(203) 238-9166

Download A 2008 Application Here
(English)
(Espanol)