Head Start Program Analysis

I believe that our society is doing well at creating programs for children living in poverty to become just as successful and prepared as their middle-class peers. For example, the United States currently provides low income families access to Head Start programs. Head Start is a government funded program that offers families that live in poverty to have access to high quality day care services and prepare children from age three to five years for kindergarten and the upcoming school years. In addition to Head Start programs, our society created Early Head Start services which focuses on infants, toddlers, and parents. Early Head Start programs provides counseling services to low income families. Because Head Start programs and Early Head Start services impact low income families and children, I believe that teachers and counselors should encourage and motivate families and children to perform well in these programs so they can continue to be successful during their school

Head Start is a federally funded, education development program that was created in 1965. The program provides education and services for eligible children from low-income families. Head Start 's philosophy focuses on the development of social-emotional, physical and mental health, nutrition, and working with families and the community and stated “low-income people should help plan and run their own programs” (p. 41-42). Head Start has truly expanded their resources over the years by providing a full school year for ages 3-6 years old and offering services such as health screenings, referrals, and social services (p. 42). Most importantly, each and every Head Start program must follow the federal Head Start Program Performace Standards that address all areas of development (p. 42). The program is truly committed to support low-income families and creating an education system that supports all aspects of the child.

Research for Head Start has found many lasting benefits for learning and educational achievement for its attendees. Including school progress and educational attainment, social behavior, and reduction of delinquency and crime that is usually found within disadvantaged families. Head Start addresses all the guidelines within the Family Impact checklist on providing all adequate services to low income families. As mentioned above, under Family Support and Responsibilities, Head Start is a federally funded program, which also receives donations and grants. Therefore, the federal government must increase funding to the Head Start program so children from low-income families, get early education services to help them succeed in school. Since Head Start programs have minimal funding there are not enough spots available to include every child in need of the services provided by this program, especially within certain regions.

meeting educational, health, social service, and parental needs. “Head Start also wants to help bring about a greater degree of social competence in these children (Mallory and Goldsmith,

The research finds that participants with the lowest initial skills are the most beneficial from public Head Start programs. But this study also states that Head Start program has lots of limitation. At the beginning of this research paper, the author introduces the history and definition of Head Start program and its main purpose. He states, “The federal Head Start program is the largest early childhood education initiative in the United States, giving matching grants to preschool centers that provide parent training, early education, and health services to poor children and their families” (Healy, 2015, para. 1). As the author emphasis, the Head Start program is not suitable for all children but only offers to children from the low-income families. There are still many families left who need the public

Head Start was created in 1965, during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential administration, as part of the Great Society plan and the War on Poverty (Currie , 2001). After observing the quality discrepancies between low income and high income educational settings, Johnson realized that “Five and six year old children are inheritors of poverty 's curse…(Johnson, 1965)” As a result, he called for the creation of a program that would allow “…preschool children of poverty [to] get a Head Start on their future (Johnson, 1965).” Soon, Head Start was established, with the goal of “enhance[ing] children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development (Mississippi Head Start Association, 2012).”

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.

The child I chose to write about for this assignment is two year old Danjuma from Wayne, Ohio. He is the youngest of three children and attends an Early Head Start Program two days a week. The child’s parents have jobs; when the mother is working her sister takes care of Danjuma. The family has financial problems but don’t qualify for any type of public assistance.

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.

As history has witnessed, “President Lyndon B. Johnson declared The War on Poverty in his State of Union speech” (“Head Start”). The Office of Economic Opportunity brought to the fore-front “Project Head Start”, which had the life-span of eight weeks. The Head Start Project was recognized as a vital defender against the vicious cycle of poverty; which is why in 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson signed the “Head Start Program” into full effect. The Head Start Act has improved the quality of life for children and parents alike. Low-income families are given a helping hand through the Head Start program.

The lack of attention given to an individual child’s needs can be observed in the structuring of the classroom at Head Start. The program places

The goal of head start is to provide these children with the tools necessary to succeed as they enter kindergarten. This program promotes, education, health and nutrition along with family engagement and support (Head Start, n.d.). All children who attend the full day program receive, free of cost breakfast, lunch and snack because proper nutrition helps children learn and play. Teachers strive to support children as they navigate through learning, social and emotional development, language and literacy, cognition, and perceptual, motor, and physical development (Head Start, n.d.). Head start believes that a child’s parent(s) is/are their first teacher and also strive to assist the parents in becoming the best parent they can be.

According to the Administration for Children and Families (2010), “Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families” (para. 3). Based on this mission subject, it is possible to subject Head Start to a program evaluation based on the following questions: (a) Is Head Start provisioning educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families? (b) Is the provisioning of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services leading to an enhancement of the social and cognitive development of children? (c) Is the social and cognitive development of children a social good for which taxpayers should pay $7 billion a year? These questions will be addressed, both directly and indirectly, later in this overview.

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The Early Childhood Opportunity (EChO) Scholars project in Maine is a master’s program which requires 36 credits hours of graduate level coursework. Practicum hour requirements include three practicum credits in a child’s natural environment, three practicum credits in the child’s classroom and an additional 20-40 field hours working with children with special needs and their families (Rooks-Ellis, 2017). Graduates receive a master’s degree in education, special education with a concentration in early intervention, and a state certification in Maine’s 282 Birth to Age 5 (Rooks-Ellis, 2017). EChO Scholars uses distance education technology such as Blackboard and Moodle, immediate feedback from student observations and reflections, and mentoring/focus