The National Head Start Association is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting at-risk children and their families through access to Early Childhood Education and through the philosophy that "Every Child Can Succeed". Head Start's goal is to be a leader in the Early Childhood Field in support of the whole child, their family and community as well as to advocate for policy and institutional changes that support the most vulnerable of our population. Although most Early Childhood professionals are at least familiar with the Head Start Program, there are a couple of resources available on their website that address issues and trends around changing demographics in our nation that are worthy of mention for any Early Childhood professional regardless of their affiliation to the Head Start Program.
Under the Initiatives & Partnerships tab on their website, Head Start has developed two programs designed to engage community members. The first I would like to mention is called "Opening Doors", a free community volunteer toolkit available for download in English and Spanish. This program gives advice and templates about how to start and grow volunteer community programs in your area and strengthen community services and advocacy for young children and their families. The second program I found particularly useful for Early Childhood professionals seeking opportunities to engage with families of their Spanish-speaking ELL students is called "Abriendo Puertas--Opening Doors Network". This program offers a framework for Early Childhood Educators to engage the parents of our nation's Latino children by offering peer-to-peer training designed to increase their parental confidence, build effective parenting practices, and learn to advocate for their children. The curriculum in comprised of 10 session designed to address parental skills that support the healthy development and positive educational outcomes for their children.
Both programs prove to be very useful especially in addressing the current issues and trends in our nation's changing demographics. I would encourage anyone seeking to advance the lives of at-risk children in their community to reference the National Head Start Program website and take advantage of these quality resources and programs.
Reference:
National Head Start Association
http://www.nhsa.org/
Hi Angie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these valuable resources. I had no idea that they would have information like that on their website. It is nice to hear because it makes sense to share the information with other programs that may be able to use it. It would still take a lot of work to set up something like that, but having a starting point would be very helpful. -Mary
Angie
ReplyDeleteWonderful information; I love how you have contacted the professional in both Mexico and El Salvador. A few months ago I was upset to see the government sending the families back to both countries when they have risked their lives to get here. I look forward to your update.
Angela,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place to get information related to the changes in early childhood! I know that Head Start has had to go through some changes recently in the state of Iowa where I live. Some of the teachers are required to get a higher education. Are you seeing that in the state that you live in? I look forward to hearing more about this wonderful program for young children and their families!
Siera
Thank you for the great information! I had no idea that Head Start had those resources. Of course I am aware of Head Start but I do not know a lot about it. I am looking forward to checking out the "Opening Doors" toolkit. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCourtney