Blue Bell Head Start Essay

E1: Describe three different types of settings which provide care and education for children in your area. This must include one example from the

Describe the roles of the members of the building team and the inter-relationships between the members of the building team that will be involved in the planning, resource management and construction of the nursery.

Families have many choices for childcare, ranging from in-home care, a childcare facility, an after school program or a

For the first twenty years of its existence, Head Start was an intensive summer program (Hevesi, 2010). During an eight week period, throughout June and July, four and five year olds, from low income families, were taught fundamental math and reading skills that would prepare them for kindergarten in the fall (Hevesi, 2010). Due to the overwhelming success of the summer program, in 1982 Head Start was expanded to become a

Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age five, pregnant woman and their extended families. They are child-focused programs that have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. . These programs try to prepare young children intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically for their future educational and social endeavors. ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002).. The programs prepare the parent(s) to be supportive in the endeavor. Head Start has the philosophy that parents are a child's first and most influential teacher. The Head Start program is beneficial to early learning.

Provide a definition of what a “high quality” preschool program consists of and why that is important.

I visited the childminders setting so I could see their play area and the home corners and how the childminders used the area to assess the children.

There are five (5) main points to be considered when planning a safe and reassuring child care environment by

The classroom sites that were studies were state preschools, Head Start, Title 1, Tuition-based programs, full-day programs, and half-day programs. Eighty-one percent of the children were 4-year old, 19% were 5-year-olds. “The gender was balanced, and included 36% African American, 31% White, 20% Hispanic/Latino, 10% multi-race, and 3% Asian. Approximately 23% of the children were ELLs. The mean percentage of children eligible for early childhood special education (with IEPs) was 11%. This also varied across program types with 15% of children in Head Start programs having IEPs and 3% of children in Tuition-Based programs. Regarding parent/caregiver educational attainment in the overall sample, 22% of parents reported having less than high school, 23% had high school diplomas or general education development (GED),

The services Head Start offer to children, “support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age five” (Office of Head Start). The type of services depend on the area that the center is established and the needs of the community. “Early Head Start services are provided for at least six hours per day, whereas Head Start preschool services may be half-day (four hours) or full-day” (Office of Head Start). Maloney shared that Shirley May’s Head Start preschool had always been half days to provide more children with the benefits of enrollment. However, after this school year the center will be going to full preschool days. The centers preschool is going to be focusing more on school readiness. In 1998 the national

I was able to make an appointment with a preschool program located in Glens Falls, NY, that has been in business for more than thirty-five years. I had planned to visit another location, but sadly due to their bylaws, and security I was not permitted in the classroom. The school where I did visit is a housed in a very centralized location and was formerly a home, that was transformed into a school. The building meets all New York State laws and fire regulations, as well as local safety laws required for early childhood programs. The school does have two small three-year-old rooms, as well as the larger four to early five year old program. The space is small, but well planned out to meet the needs of the

I scored the space and furnishings topic at 6.20. Indoor space received an individual score of seven because there is a large amount of room for children to roam around and the natural light can be controlled due to the adjustable blinds that hang from the windows. Furniture for routine care and play also received a seven because there are all different sizes of furniture for both toddlers and adults to play on. Provision

Some of the basic security issues in early childhood programs consist of building entry, control of traffic flow, arrival area, staff area, bathroom locations. From who has access to the building to the location of the bathrooms can make a big difference to how safe a child really is in an early childhood program. Two major issues from the list above I feel must be addressed in any program and how I would address these issues are list below:

You have an unlimited budget for redesigning a local child care center that serves children 6 weeks to 6 years old. Given what you know about sensory and perceptual capabilities of infants and young children, what equipment and toys will you purchase, and how will you remodel and redecorate the rooms?

Early childhood education is one of the most important policy topics out there. Research has proven that the early years in childhood is a critical period for opportunity to develop a child’s full potential; as well as form academic, social, and cognitive skills that determine not only success in school but also their entire life (The White House). The right to a free, public education is guaranteed to all children in the United States. Early education is voluntary, and therefore some children are not given the opportunity to reach their full potential.