Head Start classes and home visits for the Fall Term will begin Wednesday, Aug. 24, in the nine-county Green Hills area.
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Head Start classes and home visits for the Fall Term will begin Wednesday, Aug. 24, in the nine-county Green Hills area.
Head Start, sponsored by North Central Missouri College of Trenton, operates 11 centers and seven home base programs in this region, including a center located in Gallatin. In addition, Home Visitors visit rural homes in the Green Hills counties bringing educational activities to children and families in their homes.
Begun in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty, Head Start has since provided comprehensive child and family development services to millions of children. Studies have shown that Head Start has made an impressive impact not only on improving each child’s success in school, but on their preventative health care, nutritional habits and upon their parents as well.
Direct involvement of parents in the Head Start Program has strengthened the family’s role in the development of their children. Head Start has also strongly impacted the training and employment of parents. More than one-third of Head Start staff are current or former Head Start parents, many of whom are certified by or trainees of the Child Development Associate (CDA) program. Large proportions of parents achieve educational and employment goals while in Head Start with the assistance of the literacy efforts incorporated into the regular Head Start service.
The local program is funded to serve 277 children, at least 10% of whom receive special services because of disabilities. A primary goal is to provides early childhood education activities designed to prepare children for public school.
Each child obtains medical and dental examinations, and parents are encouraged to bring the child’s immunizations up-to-date before kindergarten.
Children attend full day classes Tuesday through Friday at the Gallatin Head Start Center located at 502 South Olive Street. The teacher, along with the rest of the staff, plans individually to meet each child and family’s needs. For more information contact: Vicky Hiley, teacher/FSA at 660-663-8976. Other staff members are teacher aides – Callista Aguilar, Sandra Gaunce, Kelly Huffman; and cook – Barbara Rivers.