Health Services
School Readiness begins with health! Head Start and Early Head Start Services focus on the “whole child” to promote children’s learning and development. In collaboration with families and community health providers, HS/EHS promotes up-to-date preventative health care and treatment for enrolled children and prenatal women. HS/EHS provides health education, scheduling assistance, and transportation to appointments when needed.
HS/EHS provides a healthy and safe learning environment by adhering to the guidelines of the Office of Head Start Performance Standards, West Virginia Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) Schedule, CDC Immunization Schedule, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Mental Health
Our program is committed to providing an environment where young children and families have the supports necessary to succeed. We promote positive mental health, emotional well-being, social competence, building on strengths and assets, and resilience through positive relationships built with our children and families. These relationships help shape children’s emotional, social, and cognitive development that is the foundation for school-readiness and future academic success. The program, in partnership with families, fosters mental wellness by offering a system that provides for the early identification and prevention of social-emotional issues that may interfere with future development.
The system includes regular social-emotional screenings for all children by the teaching staff. The Mental Health Program Specialist also provides periodic classroom observation and consultations. A multi-disciplinary team approach that includes staff and parents, other Program Specialists, and community service providers is used on case-by-case basis. We offer community referrals to therapists for children and families. The Mental Health Program Specialist also offers behavioral management services in the classroom setting and home environment. It is the policy of our program to create an environment that is supportive to the growth of children expressing their feelings and coping with stressors in a constructive way.
With the help of families, we utilize a positive behavior support system of family input and guidance, on-going classroom observation, and documentation to encourage progress. If needed, we provide resources to outside support services. Early Childhood Positive Behavior Implementation and Support (ECPBIS) strategies are implemented in our classrooms to support the development of healthy social skills. When challenging behaviors occur, ECPBIS strategies are utilized to help understand the behaviors and replace with them with more acceptable behaviors. Consultation for behavior management is provided to assist staff and caregivers as behavioral concerns arise for individual children as well as group needs. ECPBIS strategies can also be utilized in the home environment.
Family And Community Engagement
This service area is the link between school and home. Your Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) will schedule Family Social Events throughout the year to have free, family fun and training. Our staff will provide opportunities to enhance your parenting skills, learn more about your child’s health and development, become an advocate for your child and take an active role in their educational career.
In addition to working with you as a parent, we also want to support you as an individual.
We will work with parents as they identify and meet their own goals, in hopes to nurture the development of their future. Your FRC will collaborate with you to develop an “Individualized Family Partnership Agreement” (FPA), in order to achieve the goals, you set for yourself throughout the year.
Coaching
Coaching is a form of support offered for Head Start and Early Head Start Lead Teachers and Family Educators to increase their Teaching Practices regarding Social Emotional Development. Teachers and Family Educators are qualified individuals through education and experience; however, coaching is a form of Professional Development to continue their growth when working with children and families by helping build the bridge between ‘knowledge’ and ‘application’.
Regarding the Social Emotional Domain, these skills are what lay the foundation for each child’s life now and in the future. In the infant through preschool years of life, the brain is developing at a rapid pace and forming the synapsis that will be connected for the children throughout life. Some skills include: Recognizing and dealing with emotions, understanding other’s emotions and how to handle them, problem solving skills and learning how to come up with solutions, friendship skills with learning how to be a friend and get along, behavior expectations and the reasons behind the rules and how to follow directions. Depending on the age and developmental level determines how the teachers will work with the children to gain this knowledge and learn to apply the skills in their daily lives and routines. Individualization is important in Early Childhood. Coaching hones in on specific areas a Teacher or Family Educator could progress in and through gaining or enhancing a specific Teaching Practice, the children and families benefit, as well.
Education
Head Start and Early Head Start’s curriculum is aligned with the Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) and state early learning and development standards. We are currently utilizing Creative Curriculum and High Scope Curriculum in our classrooms. Both curriculums are designed to meet and establish diverse learning. Our staff have written plans to include developmental progression for children’s learning, implement studies through activities and experiences, roles for staff and parents to help children achieve goals, and materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum. Our goal is to provide a child friendly environment that is safe, secure, caring, and inclusive. We also enhance development and education through play. We encourage children to become self-confident and valued.
Education also includes school readiness. School readiness is defined as, by NCWVCAA, children possessing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in school and for later learning in life. Overall, this means that children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children’s learning, and schools are ready for the children. The school readiness goals that we utilize are:
- Perceptual, Motor, & Physical Development
- Social & Emotional Development
- Cognition
- Language & Communication
- Approaches to Learning
Safety Service Area
NCWVCAA Head Start and Early Head Start program feels safety is one of the number one priorities of this program. To ensure the safety of the children, families and staff, the program provides ongoing safety mitigations in a variety of ways. All staff are trained on an ongoing basis to ensure facilities and playground safety. This includes classrooms, buses, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. Training also occurs for emergency responses including CPR/FA, monthly drills, active supervision, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Medication Administration. Through preventative maintenance, the program completes daily, weekly, monthly, and annual checks in various positions to ensure ongoing safety checks occur. Ongoing safety resources are also available to families and staff monthly in forms of Safety and Health Newsletters or on an individual basis as needed.
Transportation Service Area
Our program directly provides bus transportation to Head Start center-based families in Barbour, Marion and Taylor counties to get children to and from school. Head Start families in Preston, Pocahontas, Randolph and Webster are provided transportation by the county Board of Education to get their child to and from school. Head Start Family Engagement staff provide contact information for Dept. of Education school bus transportation services to all applicable families for questions and concerns. Early Head Start center-based children are transported by county Board of Education school bus or by parent transport depending on the applicable family. Family Engagement staff for Early Head Start home-based families also provide transportation to socializations and parent events through an agency vehicle on an individual rotating basis for those families that cannot transport themselves. Staff also provide transportation for families to obtain health records or meet other appointments as part of requirements of the program.