Collaborations and Partnerships

We are always interested in exploring the possibility of new collaborations and partnerships. And we are thankful for the gracious support of the agencies that have teamed with us to provide the following services:

ABCD Head Start and the Urban College of Boston:

A close partnership with the Urban College of Boston (UCB) has enabled ABCD Head Start to develop career and educational ladders for staff that emphasize the importance of higher education and provide college credit for appropriate coursework. Head Start works with UCB to operate the national Child Development Associate (CDA) program, which grants competency-based early childhood credentials to Head Start assistant teachers, Early Head Start teachers and Family Child Care providers.

ABCD Head Start and the Children's Museum:

Now in its eleventh year, the partnership with the Children’s Museum provides  Head Start teachers with training on how to use the Children’s Museum as an extension of their classroom. Each year, the partners choose a topic such as literacy, math, or nutrition. Teacher training is then focused on the chosen topic and the children and families from the classrooms get to visit the museum at least once during the program year.  As part of the collaboration, each Head Start family of children and staff are provided with free passes to visit the museum, in some cases these free passes lead to memberships for the family.

Student Interns:

Over the years, ABCD Head Start has developed relationships with area colleges that include Boston College, Boston University, Salem State, Cambridge College, Emmanuel College, and Wheelock College, to place and supervise students licensed masters and bachelors level social worker programs, and licensed mental health programs in Head Start sites where they can be supervised by licensed clinicians on staff.

Children’s Hospital Family Connections:

ABCD Head Start is currently collaborating with Children’s Hospital to provide mental health services to Jamaica Plain Head Start, Parker Hill Fenway Head Start, and South Side Head Start. These services focus on staff well-being, as well as, providing services for program children and families to facilitate recognition and intervention of families with depression.

Parental Depression and Head Start:

Through an initiative with Boston Medical Center, a system is being developed to provide community-based management of depressed mothers with children in Head start.

Vision in Pre-School:

ABCD Head Start is taking part in the National Eye Institute Vision in Pre-School study, conducted in Boston by the New England College of Optometry. Last year, the five-year study screened 200 ABCD Head Start children and will screen 200 each year. All Head Start children are screened as part of their regular Head Start vision screening that includes prescription eyeglasses or eye reports if follow-up treatment is required.

Dental Health:

ABCD Head Start is part of an Oral Health Collaboration with Boston University. This collaboration provides dental screenings in the Early Head Start programs, training for parents and staff in oral health and prevention services for infants and toddlers.

The Mobile Dental Health Clinic provides on-site dental care including dental examinations, teeth cleaning, fluoride application, and basic fillings to Head Start children.

Living Well Task Force:

In response to the trend of increasing numbers of overweight children Head Start staff created, the Living Well Task Force, a collaboration with Harvard Prevention Research Center, WIC, and the Massachusetts Departments of Education and Public Health. The Task Force works at creating a healthy environment for the Head Start community.

Jump Start:

Jump Start, an AmeriCorps service project, trains local college students in child development and early literacy. College students are matched with a Head Start program and throughout the school year spend two afternoons a week at a program site. Individual students work one-on-one with the children to support early literacy development, social, and emotional growth.