Head Start is Now Enrolling!
Region 19 Head Start is enrolling for another academic fun-filled year – 2018-19.
The Head Start program is dedicated to helping children and families succeed in school and life.
The Region 19 Head Start preschool program serves 3 and 4-year-old children, and the Early Head Start program serves infants, toddlers, and pregnant women.
From head-to-toe, Head Start has an enormous impact on student’s school readiness, health and well-being. We prepare children for Kindergarten!
The primary benefit that Head Start offers is education. But there are other just as important outcomes of enrollment in Head Start for children.
Take the story of a 4-year-old child whose eyes appeared to be looking in different directions. When enrolled in Head Start, his teacher noticed the child often tilted his head to the left while his left eye drifted away. After notifying the staff nurse, the child was screened and referred to an eye specialist, who discovered the child had strabismus. Glasses were ordered along with a follow-up visit to the ophthalmologist for monitoring and care. For now, the child is wearing glasses and happily participating in school activities.
Then there is this: A toddler in the Early Head Start Program who at 20 months old did not produce any words; only used gestures or pointing to communicate. Head Start staff conducted the initial screening and referred the child to Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) for a formal evaluation. ECI discovered that the child had loss of hearing and developed a service plan, working closely with the parents and Head Start staff to integrate the individualized plan and instruction at home and in the classroom. The child continues to receive speech therapy, and now is able to communicate verbally.
In one remarkable case: A pregnant participant in the Head Start Program received pre and post-natal services and education through home visits and follow-ups. Two weeks after birth, a staff nurse visited the family’s home and found out mom was depressed because baby was born with down syndrome and just wanted to stay home with her baby. Consequently, the baby’s father asked the staff to help him encourage his wife to enroll their baby in the program. Happily, baby was enrolled in the program at five months old and referred to ECI to access and receive the services, resources and support the family needed to support their child’s development. Three years later, the child has learned to walk, talk and socialize with others; mom is an enthusiastic, active volunteer in her child’s Head Start classroom.