Head Start

1. Head Start April 8-10, 2013 Carolyn Kiefer, Head Start State Collaboration Director Sara San Juan, Assistant Director Migrant Seasonal Head Start Frances Huffman, Special Services Director, Coeur d’Alene School District

2. Mission 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.

3. History • Largest and longest serving early childhood program in US • 1965 Project Head Start launched as part of War on Poverty • 8 week, part day, summer program • Served 561,000 3-4 year olds nation-wide • 48th year- over 30 million low-income children and • families have benefited • Serves more than 1,000,000 children and more than • 10,000 pregnant women during each program year.

4. History American Indian Alaska Native (AIAN) Tribal programs were a part of Head Start from the inception of the program, and represented some of the deepest areas of poverty in the country.

5. History In 1969 Migrant Head Start was launched to ensure that children of migrant farm workers had access to services through Head Start. The service delivery model allowed for children as young as six weeks old to receive comprehensive Head Start Services while parents labored in the fields to harvest the nation's food supply.

6. History In 1995 Early Head Startexpanded services to children 0-3 years of age and to pregnant women

7. Head Start in Idaho • 13 Programs, including Migrant and Tribal • 5,000 Idaho children enrolled in HS/EHS (4,200 slots) • 10% services for children with special needs (650 children with special needs served) • Estimate: Idaho serves fewer than 20% of eligible children

8. Children with Special Needs • Head Start is federally mandated to screen all children within 45 days of enrollment for health and disabilities. • Children who show signs of developmental delays/disabilities from screening must be referred to local school district for assessment and eligibility for special education services. • Head Start Programs mandated to have Interagency Agreements with all school districts in their service area.

9. Bear River Head Start Counties served: Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Lower Bannock 150 Children Enrolled

10. Coeur d’ Alene Tribe Early Childhood Learning Center Counties served: Benewah and Kootenai 112 Children Enrolled

11. College of Southern Idaho Head Start Counties served: Blaine, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Power, and Twin Falls 775 Children Enrolled

12. Community Council of Idaho – Migrant Seasonal Head Start Counties served: Bannock, Bingham, Bonneville, Canyon, Cassia, Custer, Elmore, Freemont, Gem, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Minidoka, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Twin Falls, and Washington 808 Children Enrolled

13. Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership Head Start Counties served: Bingham, Bonneville, Lemhi, Madison, and Teton 313 Children Enrolled

14. Friends of Children and Families Head Start Counties served: Ada and Elmore 609 Children Enrolled

15. Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program Head Start Counties served: Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce (in Idaho) and Asotin (in Washington) 475 Children Enrolled

16. Mountain States Early Head Start Counties served: Bonner, Kootenai 167 Children Enrolled

17. Nez Perce Tribe Early Childhood Development Program Head Start Counties served: Clearwater, Idaho, Lewis and Nez Perce 226 Children Enrolled

18. North Idaho College Head Start Counties served: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone 361 Children Enrolled

19. Pocatello/Chubbuck School District #25 Head Start County served: Bannock 206 Children Enrolled Annual Report

20. Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Head Start Counties served: Bannock and Bingham75 Children Enrolled Website

21. Western Idaho Community Action Partnership Counties served: Adams, Boise, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley, and Washington 755 Children Enrolled

22. Why Head Start? Why invest in Early Childhood Education? Why target Children in Poverty?

23. Research: • The importance of the first 1000 days • Hart and Risley’s study about language development and vocabulary • Critical nature of early intervention • Brain development and the impact of early stress.

24. Disparities in Early Vocabulary Growth Vocabulary Size Age of Child in Months Source: Hart, B. and Risley, T. R. (2003). “The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3.”

25. Adverse Childhood Experiences ACE Study • Physical Abuse • Sexual Abuse • Emotional Abuse • Neglect • Witnessing Domestic Violence • Depression/Mental Illness in Home • Incarcerated Family Member • Substance Abuse in Home • Loss of a Parent ACE Questionnaire

27. Significant Adversity Impairs Development in the First Three Years Children with Developmental Delays Number of Risk Factors Source: Barth, et al. (2008)

28. ACEs and Head Start • WSU and Spokane Head Start • Head Start Children (N=50) • 60% had violence exposures < 4 yrs. • Mean ACE >3 • Mean ACE of their Parents is >5 • •2/3rs of children with Positive ACE screen had one report of social-emotional development concerns (by teacher and parent)

29. Harvard University Center on the Developing Child

30. Commonalities HS/Title One • Serve many of the same children and families • Promote school readiness • Promote school success • Focus on Professional Development • Score quality of interactions: Danielson, CLASS • Early Learning eGuidelines/Common Core • Value parent participation • Federal funding and Federal Standards

31. Federal Initiatives: • Grants from Feds and Foundations • President’s commitment to early childhood • Pending Federal funding for Pre-K expansion in states. • What are the implications for Idaho? President’s Fact Sheet

32. Idaho’s WIN/WIN! • Minidoka • MOU with State Migrant Education and MSHS • An Idaho Model for Head Start and School District Collaboration: Frances’s story

33. The Story • Parent Testimony: When my son entered Head Start I saw students with disabilities in the class and wondered, “what will they TAKE from my child?” What I found was “what they HAVE GIVEN to my child and my family”.

34. The Picture • *Janie* She has a smile as big as they come. • She can now eat with a spoon. • Choose her center. • Move to her center. • Laugh with her friends.

35. The Picture • *Scottie* - Now uses a few words. • Watches and learns from his friends. • Joins in all activities. • Gets to be a “kid”.

36. The Picture • *Terry* - Has time during the day with a new adult in his life. • Learning to tolerate the busy world of preschool. • Can taste some new foods. • Has opportunities with active, happy friends.

37. The Scene • So many happy voices – I will try for words of my own. • New fun experiences – I will join a friend and enjoy the activity. • A friend who helps with the real issues, i.e. zippers, shoes, mittens. • “I did it myself!!!” 

38. Partnership • School District Special Needs Preschool and North Idaho College Head Start. Model – Co-enrolled (7/13) 50/50 School District

39. Appearance • All classes look the same to parents, students, observers. • Curriculum is melded to make the best of both worlds. • Services are becoming seamless and integrative. • Staff are afforded training from both entities.

40. Collaborative Partnership • Assessment information gathered by all. • Shared • Goals • Planning • Services • Teaching • Friendships • Celebrations

41. Benefits of Partnering with Schools • Communication and a common understanding of “School Readiness” • Collaborative Transition Plan • What could that look like? • Home Language Survey/Assessment • Assessment Results • Work Samples • Family Goal Setting Centered Around Transition

42. Benefits of Partnering with Schools • Facilitate Parent Engagement • Co-sponsored Staff Trainings • Long Term Data Study • Collaborative Continuous Improvement • Mutual Learning • Relationships Possibilities are Endless !!

43. What potential do you see? • Positives • Obstacles • Options • Starting places