Lebanon County Head Start -
Program Design and Management
Service Area and Eligibility Guidelines
The Head Start Program provides early, comprehensive preschool services to eligible children and families living within the Lebanon County area. Children who are 3 or 4 years of age (in accordance with school district guidelines) and are under the poverty level income guidelines are economically eligible for Head Start Services. In addition, children who meet the same age requirements but do not meet the income guidelines, but have a special need or disability, are eligible for the Head Start Program. These "over-income" children, however, may only comprise 10% of the total number of funded enrollment.
Options
Head Start operates several program options and receives funds through the Federal Head Start Program for 243 children, and through the State Supplemental Assistance Program for 143 children. State funding for Head Start first became available in 2004.
Program Option One:
The center-based Head Start part-day program model operating a 3.5 hour day for 160 days/year is the primary program model for the Lebanon County Head Start Program. Approximately 243 children are served in this program option.
There are three designs within this 3.5-hour center-based option. The first is operated directly by Head Start and utilizes all Head Start services. One design operates in nine classrooms in a variety of locations within the county, serving approximately 159 children in a variety of settings.
The second design, a collaborative relationship with Lebanon School District and Lebanon County Head Start, serves approximately 84 children dispersed within 16 Lebanon City K-4 classes. This collaboration was established in 1992 upon implementation of a district kindergarten program for four-year-old children. Joint planning and collaborative roles were established to enhance services to all children rather than a competition for the same population. The role of the Lebanon School District was to provide the education and disabilities services to the children in morning K-4 classes, and the role of the Head Start program was to provide the remaining comprehensive services required by Head Start. Dispersion of the Head Start students was in accordance with the student’s “home school,” and both Head Start and non-Head Start students were assimilated into each of the morning classes. Initially, there had been approximately 51 children served through this model with the Lebanon School District. However, with increasing enrollment, this number has been expanded to serve approximately 84 federally funded Head Start students. Each of these students in these collaborative classrooms meet both district requirements as well as Head Start requirements.
A third design, funded with State dollars, is a collaborative effort with a local child-care provider serving 15 children in the child-care center with a Head Start teacher and child-care staff assistants. In this option, the child-care staff provides the wraparound services for full-day, full-year services with the Head Start teacher providing the Head Start educational portion of the day for 3.5 hours.
Program Option Two:
In 2004, it was identified that a need of the community was for both the expansion of services to serve additional children as well as a need to provide expanded services to those children who were at risk for poor literacy outcomes. With a growing Hispanic population and more of our families enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) and General Education Development (GED) classes, children were identified as potentially at risk for poor literacy outcomes. These outcomes can be due to child-based factors as well as family-based risk factors including limited English proficiency or having a parent with low education attainment. The provision of services for an extended day and extended school year with a heavy emphasis on literacy was therefore developed with Head Start State Expansion Funds in the summer of 2004 to enable these children to have more favorable literacy outcomes. There are currently 98 State-funded children in this option which operates six hours/day in classrooms staffed by both Head Start and non Head Start Personnel.
Initially, in 2004, 68 children who meet the criteria of a child with a potentially low literacy outlook based on the previously mentioned risk factors were provided a literacy-rich environment in an extended day during the regular school year for 160 days. In order to maintain gains made during the year, a five-week “extended school year” program, which coincided with the district’s Summer Academy and the Family Literacy’s summer program, was held in June and July of 2005.
Recruitment and Child Selection
The Family Services Committee, comprised of staff, community representatives and parents, is responsible for the recruitment and child selection for the program. They determine the areas for recruitment, assist in recruitment efforts, and determine priorities for child selections. Recruitment occurs year-round, although efforts are concentrated in February and March to assist prior to the child selection, which occurs in May.
|
