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Program Options
Early Childhood Devt. & Health
Services
Family & Community Partnerships
Additional Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Family and Community Partnerships
Head Start believes that parents are the primary educators of their
young children. The program is therefore designed to provide parents
with activities that can help them become the best educators they
can be. In addition to the workshops and training programs offered,
Head Start parents can be involved in the planning and development
of other activities in which they are interested--social, educational,
community awareness/improvement projects. Parents can gain new skills
by volunteering in classrooms or the offices within the Head Start
program. When qualified, Head Start parents are given preference
for employment opportunities available within the program.
An extremely important role for parents is working with staff to
make decisions about their children and about the program. Parents
are encouraged to be involved in planning classroom activities with
teachers and in learning what they can do with their children at
home to further educational goals. Parents can influence policies
effecting the operations of the local Head Start program by serving
on the Policy Council which must approve program goals, budgets,
center locations, employment decisions and any other major changes
which affect children and families served. (The Parent Involvement
schedules also include evening activities in order to meet the needs
of parents who work or are in school/training.)
The Family Advocates are the first contacts that families make when
applying for entrance into the program. It is the Family and Community
Partnership division that does the intake applications for Head
Start. The Family Advocates creates the link between the family,
the classroom and the community. Using a case mangement approach,
staff develops partnership agreements with families in order to
assist and support the family to meet their own needs and attain
the goals they set for themselves. The Family and Community Partnership
division initiates new community partnerships that ensure collaborations
between community agencies and parents. Resources and referral information
is provided to parents to assist with needs in time of crisis and
enhancement of goal completion. GED, ESL and other onsite classes
and workshops are available to parents. The division even operates
a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance service, free to those meeting
the tax program qualifications, at two of their sites. As the primary
outreach arm of the program, Family Advocates maintain on-going
contact with the families through home visits, telephone contacts,
written notes and parental visits to the centers. (Evening or weekend
home visiting is available for parents who work or who are in school/training.)
Additional Resources
For more information regarding Head Start or Child Development,
visit:
The National Head Start program www.acf.hhs.gov
North Carolina Public Schools www.ncpublicschool.org
Early Childhood Initiative www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/earlychildhood
Success By 6 www.national.unitedway.org/sb6
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