INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

TO: All Early Head Start and Head Start Grantee and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: AMERICA READS CHALLENGE - READY*SET*READ Early Childhood Learning Kit

INFORMATION: The Head Start Breau is pleased to send you the enclosed set of the READY*SET*READ Early Childhood Learning Kit for families, teachers and caregivers of children from birth through age five. This kit was developed as part of the President's AMERICA READS CHALLENGE which targets children to read well and independently by the end of third grade.

Since 1965, Head Start has played a significant role in helping young children develop social competence, which fosters language and literacy skills such as listening, speaking, reading, signing and writing through age-appropriate activities. These skills are acquired with the support and help of the family working closely with teachers, home visitors, family child care providers and others; and with the support and partnership of other community agencies.

The revised Head Start Program Performance Standards, which became effective January 1, 1998, specifically require (1304.21(a)(4)(iv)) that each grantee and delegate agency support emerging literacy and numeracy development through materials and activities according to the developmental level of each child.
Head Start supports the President's challenge. We recognize that for children to be successful readers at the end of third grade, begins with each of us taking an active role in ensuring that children enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start are provided with opportunities for language and literacy development based on sound child development principles and in partnership with their parents and other caregivers.

As part of this challenge the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Corporation for National Service have joined together to develop and disseminate the AMERICA READS CHALLENGE: READY*SET*READ Early Childhood Learning Kit.
The READY*SET*READ Childhood Learning Kit includes Activity Guides for Families and Caregivers, which provide ideas regarding ways to help young children learn about language with age appropriate activities, and an Early Childhood Activity Calendar, as well as an Early Childhood Growth Chart for measuring children's height, and age appropriate activities to promote language development for young children.

The information and approaches presented in the READY*SET*READ Early Childhood Learning Kit is valuable information for each member of the Head Start staff--from bus driver to agency director. Each person needs to know about the ways to support children's optimum development and learning so that we can make certain that each time we interact with a child we are doing the right thing on their behalf.

I challenge each Early Head Start and Head Start agency to find creative ways to introduce and use these materials with their staff and families.
Additional sets of the READY*SET*READ Early Childhood Learning Kit may be obtained from the Head Start Information and Publication Center, Fax number (703) 683-5769.

/S/
Helen H. Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau
Attachment: Ready*Set*Read Early Childhood Learning Kit

cc: Regional Administrators, ACF, Regions I-X
American Indian Programs Branch
Migrant Programs Branch