Head Start Families

At Head Start, parents are partners, not observers. We believe that parents are their children's most important teachers, and we strive to involve them in all aspects of the Head Start and Early Head Start program. Parents are encouraged to volunteer in the classroom, and many Head Start parents volunteers have gone on to discover career opportunities at Head Start.

We provide parents with the tools and knowledge to reinforce the Head Start curriculum at home, each and every day. Staff members work with parents to provide training in areas of health and nutrition education, ensure children are immunized appropriately, have screenings in the areas of hearing and vision, and assess children for height and weight measurements. Parents also gain access to Program Governance training, which develops their knowledge and skills related to program governance.

Empowering the Whole Family

Often, career opportunities for Head Start and Early Head Start parents begin when they volunteer or pursue a job opening with the program, and then take advantage of related educational opportunities offered through Head Start. One third of Head Start staff members were introduced to the program as parents of Head Start children.

Family Support Specialists are on hand to help identify and obtain support services and programs for families. These include the following:

• Resources and referrals for job training and education programs including computer training, ESOL classes, and early childhood teaching programs
• Good Guys program, which helps fathers and other males be more active in children's lives
• Targeted program for homeless children
• Support for parents suffering from a range of physical and mental health issues
• Referrals for assistance programs, such as food stamps, fuel assistance, and housing.

Head Start Success Stories

At Head Start, our goal is to support the whole child, the whole family, and the whole community to achieve the highest quality of life possible. We aim to not only educate, but to empower the children and families who enroll in our program. And we are proud to champion our Head Start families by sharing their tales of personal triumph in the Success Stories section of our Web site. If you have a Success Story you would like to share, please visit this page and submit it to us.