If
you or a family member need assistance, please call 402.462.4187 ext. 148 or email
us. We will be happy to discuss your particular situation and refer
you to a local program. We will also try to refer you to other agencies
whose services may benefit your family.
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Head
Start & Early Head Start
Head
Start and Early Head Start are federally funded, comprehensive child development
programs. Thus in addition to early childhood education, both programs
provide family-focused health, nutrition, and social services. The overall
goal of these child-focused programs is to increase the school readiness
of young children in low-income families.
Head
Start, established in 1965, focuses on preschool children aged three to
five and their families. Early Head Start, added in 1994, expanded the
program to serve pregnant women and children birth through age two.The
following sections provide additional information on each program.
To find
a Head Start or Early Head Start program near you, visit our local
programs page or email us.
We will be happy to make a referral. | Head
Start |
| Head
Start is designed to foster the healthy development of low-income children.
While the vast majority of children and families participating in the program
must meet federal poverty guidelines, a limited number of slots are allowed
for children with special needs whose families' incomes exceed the guidelines.
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The
Head Start program has a long tradition of delivering comprehensive, high
quality services. Head Start grantee and delegate agencies provide a range
of individualized services in the areas of education and early childhood
development; medical, dental, and mental health; nutrition; and parent
involvement. In addition, the entire range of Head Start services is responsive
and appropriate to each child's and family's developmental, ethnic, cultural,
and linguistic heritage and experience.
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The
Head Start Bureau (the Administration on Children, Youth and Families
(ACYF), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS)), awards grants directly to public agencies,
private organizations, Indian Tribes, and school systems to operate local
Head Start programs. All Head Start programs must adhere to Program Performance
Standards. The Head Start Program Performance Standards define the services
that Head Start Programs are to provide to the children and families they
serve. They constitute the expectations and requirements that Head Start
grantees must meet. They are designed to ensure that the Head Start goals
and objectives are implemented successfully, that the Head Start philosophy
continues to thrive, and that all grantee and delegate agencies maintain
the highest possible quality in the provision of Head Start services.
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| Program
Services Areas |
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Disabilities.
Fully including children with disabilities is a required element of the
Head Start program. This initiative is beneficial to all involved: children
with and without disabilities, parents of children with and without disabilities,
and staff members. |
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Education.
Ensuring children enrolled in Head Start begin school ready to learn is
a program goal. Activities are directed toward skill and knowledge domains
and domain elements. Indicators of each child's progress are incorporated
in the program's annual self-assessment. |
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Family
and Community Partnerships recognize the vital contributions
made by parents and community members. Both groups are involved in the operation,
governance and evaluation of the program. |
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Health.
Wellness is recognized as a significant contributor to each child's ability
to thrive and develop. Accordingly, health screenings evaluate the child's
overall health status and regular health check-ups and good practices in
oral health, hygiene, nutrition, personal care, and safety are incorporated
in the program. |
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Program
Management and Operation
focus on delivering high-quality child development services to children
from low-income families. |
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If you, a friend or
family member are interested in learning more about Head Start opportunities
in your area, please contact NeHSA or your local program.
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Top
| Early
Head Start |
| Early
Head Start (EHS) has a triple mission. It promotes healthy prenatal outcomes,
enhances the development of infants and toddlers, and promotes healthy family
functioning. |
| When
Congress reauthorized the Head Start program in 1994, they created Early
Head Start — a program for low-income families with infants, toddlers
and pregnant women. In establishing this program, Congress acted upon evidence
from research and practice that illustrates early intervention through high
quality programs enhances children's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive
development; enables parents to be better caregivers and teachers to their
children; and helps parents meet their own goals, including economic independence. |
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Like Head Start, Early Head Start adheres to federal Program Performance
Standards (45 CFR Part 1304). All grantees must meet these program requirements,
assuring high quality programs. Community programs use Early Head Start
resources to address the needs of children and families and to achieve the
purposes set forth by Congress. Local Early Head Start programs demonstrate
the positive impact that occurs when early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive
services are provided to pregnant women and very young children and their
families. |
| Programs
participating in Early Head Start: |
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Ensure
quality by meeting the requirements in the Head Start Program Performance
Standards and other applicable regulations; |
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Provide
early, individualized child development and parent education services to
low-income infants and toddlers and their families according to a plan developed
jointly by the parents and staff; |
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Provide
these services through an appropriate mix of home visits, experiences at
the Early Head Start center, and experiences in other settings such as family
or center-based child care; |
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Provide
early opportunities for infants and toddlers with and without disabilities
to grow and develop together in nurturing and inclusive settings; |
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Ensure
that the Early Head Start program is supportive and nurturing of families; |
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Respond
to the needs of families, including, where appropriate, the need for full-time
child care for working families |
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Connect
with other service providers at the local level to ensure that a comprehensive
array of health, nutrition, and other services is provided to the program's
pregnant women, very young children, and their families; |
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Recruit,
train, and supervise high quality staff to ensure the kind of warm and continuous
relationships between caregivers and children that are crucial to learning
and development for infants and toddlers; |
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Ensure
parent involvement in policy and decision making; and |
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Coordinate
with local Head Start and other child development programs in order to ensure
continuity of services for these children and families. |
| If
you, a friend or family member are interested in learning more about Head
Start opportunities in your area, please contact NeHSA or your local program. |
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