Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

Head Start

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

I listened to the stories of the parents and grandparents from each category and decided the common denominator was that Head Start not only helps children but the family as a whole. Almeta Richards for example, went from being a struggling parent to a program director; Lawrence Thomas became the chairperson of the policy council and is an active member of the Fatherhood initiative after he obtained full custody of his sons; and Sandra Reza was able to obtain her degree in psychology to help her grandchildren. Each parent shared their individual stories about Head Start and how they are not your typical childcare agency and preschool and truly focuses not only on high quality education for children but parental empowerment and involvement to become as partners in not only their child’s education, and a better way of life for the entire family. Through their experiences, these parents have been motivated to reach back and help those who were once in their shoes and truly combat poverty in this country.

Head Start provides many opportunities for parental involvement and maintains that parents are the child’s first and most important teachers and how they interact with them physically and emotionally promotes healthy brain development and improved developmental outcomes. 

Family involvement is critical not only for Head Start, but for every strand of service because not all families are able to be served by Head Start but each deserve the high quality program they provide

and parents can make a difference in that quality at every educational level from Day Nurseries to Primary school and beyond by using their voice, becoming a part of the policy councils, and partnering with EC professionals, community leaders and government officials to make the necessary changes for the betterment of all children.

Each story is unique but also can touch the lives of so many experiencing the same challenges in their own lives giving hope, motivation and encouragement to persevere. From a professional perspective, it is encouraging knowing the work teachers are doing is valued, effective, and positively impacting lives. Hopefully these stories will also encourage and ignite the public, policymakers, and government officials to continue to financially support Head Start and even expand to other service providers to be able to accommodate all children and families at some level, not just the super poor.

Reference

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/about/stories/