Clearly, providing early learning opportunities for at-risk children has become not only a focal point for lawmakers, but a shared national commitment. His FY2016 budget, included a commitment to expand and strengthen child care and early education programs, specifically increasing the duration of Head Start to a full school day and year. Head Start supports families facing difficult circumstances and seeks to mitigate obstacles to learning in the early years.įlash forward 50 years, President Barack Obama in his 2014 State of the Union address called for more focused and dedicated work to ensure vulnerable children and families have access to high quality care and education in their earliest years. Children enter Head Start with serious socioeconomic disadvantages that can hold them back for life. The Department of Health and Human Services funds extensive research every year that reinvigorates practices, ensuring that programs meet children's needs by creating a deep understanding of how they learn and what supports healthy development. Head Start programs offer an ideal laboratory for the study of effective child development and learning. The Head Start Model, developed over the decades has been built on evidence-based practices and is constantly adapting-using the best available science and teaching techniques to meet the needs of local communities. When Head Start was first launched in 1965, the idea of providing comprehensive health, nutrition, and education services to children in poverty was revolutionary, if not radical. The premise of Head Start is simple: every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential. In addition, a readiness profile provides teachers, child care providers, and parents a tool to better inform them on the specific strengths and needs of each individual child. The purpose of this definition is to give parents, child care and preschool, and communities an overview of the expectations of schools for incoming students and to helpįamilies and communities prepare children for school. In Kentucky, all children who meet the legal age requirement are entitled to enter public school.įamilies, early care and education providers, schools and community partners must work together to provide developmental experiences that promote growth and learning, to ensure that all children enter school eager and excited to learn. These skills and behaviors are NOT USED to determine school eligibility. Not every child will master all of the skills and behaviors listed above prior to Kindergarten. Kentucky recognizes that children develop and learn at different rates and times. The indicators included represent the hopes and aspirations for incoming students, not the expectations. We envision a nation where young children who are economically and socially disadvantaged begin their formal education ready and resilient.The skills listed in the diagram above are helpful for children to know before entering Kindergarten. The Region IV Head Start Association's mission is to support the Head Start community through leadership, advocacy, partnership and professional development, promoting the delivery of high quality services for children and families. RIVHSA is a regional affiliate of the National Head Start Association (NHSA) and its regional network includes a growing alliance of corporate partners and individual members, as well as 8 state affiliates: Today, RIVHSA represents more than 170,000 children, 40,000 staff and 300 member programs. Over the years, RIVHSA has grown significantly while remaining focused on our mission to make a difference in Region IV by leveraging our collective voice, engaging partners across sectors, and supporting professional development to open doors of opportunity for enrolled children and families. For more than 30 years, the Region IV Head Start Association (RIVHSA) has been dedicated to improving the quality of early care and learning services for Head Start/Early Head Start children and their families.
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