Community United Headstart: Case Study

Describe the roles of external professionals who may work with a school e.g. educational psychologist

needs. I also worked at the front desk at the facility taking care of all the parents and answering all

ensuring that there is an effective way of reporting any hazards to the appropriate person so that any required action can be taken. Every school is

Schools are required to have policies and procedures as they safe guard the staff and pupils and

I am currently a student at New Castle Junior, Senior High School. Throughout, the past 15 years of my life, I have been connected to Lawrence County Head Start Program. I attended Head Start for two years, at the age of 3 and 4. My teachers were Mrs. Lemmon and Mrs. Gardner. They taught me to to read, write, socialize, and use proper etiquette. I still remember the family style lunch setting in the classroom. During my enrollment, my mother volunteered her time with Head Start to be a part of the Head Start Policy Council. This led to a long standing relationship with Head Start. Today, my mother is on the Head Start Governing Board, as a former parent.

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

On September 15, 2016 Students started clinical rotation at Head Start in Gaffney South Carolina, Located at 501 W. Rutledge Ave. Gaffneys Head Start program is administered by Piedmont Community Actions, Inc. (4) According to the Administration For Children and Families, The Economic Opportunity Act was passed  in August, 1964  which created various programs.  In 1964  President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the first Head Start Act into legislation. (4)  “ Head Start was designed to help break the cycle of poverty, providing preschool children of low income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs.”  The purpose of attending Head Start would allow students to perform the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning- Fourth Edition also known as Dial 4. The clinical experience at Head Start allowed nursing students to observe, evaluate, and incorporate communication skills, Professionalism and legal/ ethical practices, infection control practices, patient safety practices, patient teaching practices, and Invasive and non-invasive procedures.

As I finish up my last two hours at the Early Childhood Center that resides on the university’s campus, it has been an adventure for me. I have acquired many new skills for the classroom, Shadowing for Ms. Bailey class, room 307 was not an easy process but I got through it. Head Start is located on Winston Salem’s University’s campus in its own secluded area, where students who attend Winston Salem won’t bother. Essentially outside of the university the Early Childhood center is placed in a rough part of town. Around you can find low income based housing, run down gas stations and ABC stores around. That doesn’t stop Head Start from producing the best students they can, their mission statement is to “help low-income families in our community put their children on a path to success in school…and throughout their lives”.

Head Start is a program that was created almost 50 years ago for preschools. As of now 80% of students enrolled in a Head Start program are 3 and 4 year olds. Head Start was created to help support children’s growth and development in a variety of different ways, such as early learning, health, and family well-being. Head start is a program that has been federally funded since 1964, but federal law also requires that local communities contribute 20% of the funding required.

Currently I am employed as an Early Head Start Director for the Children’s Center of Cicero Berwyn, a Head Start delegate to the Pillars grantee in Illinois. I believe that the skills and experiences I have gained at this position make me an ideal candidate for the Head Start job.

The Head Start Program was developed through President Lyndon Johnson’s administration. The program is an equality program which assures students who lives in poverty have a right to educational opportunities. The purpose of the program was to combat the War on Poverty by giving children who live in poor neighborhoods an opportunity to receive an early education to prepare them for elementary and secondary education (“An Office”, 2015).

School counselors collaborate with other school personnel such as teachers who will help implement guidance lessons in the classroom. As a school counselor it is important to keep the teachers motivated to help implement these programs. Resource teachers typically work the special education students, collaborating with resource teachers ensures that all students are included in the comprehensive program. The resource teacher can help provide alternative to working with students in an inclusive manner. The principles and assistance principles of the school typically serve on the advisory committee, they provide resources to the program, and help communicate the important of the counseling program. School psychologist are there to assist with mental health services, doing assessments, and working with the school counselor during crisis situations. School nurses provide health services to the students. They monitor student medications and note changes in students behavior or effectiveness of the medication. Secretaries are equally important in the collaborative model. Secretaries are typically the first person a parent will come in contact with when entering the school. They are the ones that create that first impression (Erford, 2015). Community agencies can provide additional support to students outside of

As I explained by telephone, Orange County Head Start (OCHS) is a comprehensive early childhood education program that serves children and with families economically disadvantaged backgrounds to include children who are socially disadvantaged. We approached to your organization in the way we can create a partnership in order to promote our services to the families that you serve. I would like to set up a meeting in order to discuss services that we provide and how families that you serve could be benefit from our program. If you need more information, you can contact me anytime.

Dear Head Start Board Member, I as do I am sure that parents may be looking forward to their kids returning to school, but they’re probably not so excited about the daily challenges around transportation. Not only do most kids need to be dropped off they need to be picked up from school. For working parents who have their own schedules to maintain, all this can be hugely stressful, and I know lots of families can relate to this. I remember back to when my son first start here at this center, and they still had bus transportation available, it was so much more convenient and less stressful getting him to from school every day. Now that I have two children who are kindergarten age and preschool it has become even more difficult for me.

At this day center my job was to assist and teach basic work skills to adults with intellectual disabilities. I assisted with daily routines and provided therapy, occupational, and speech support. The majority of the clients had extreme medical needs and/ or behaviors. It was our job to conduct behavior prevention and interventions as needed. One of my specific job duties was to plan and implement client outings in the community. If weather did not permit, I planned and implemented activities in the center as individual and/ or group activities. As a float instructor I had to know all the instructor positions in order to fill in for the staff as needed. The Independence Center also counted on me to do the training for all new staff. I also