Rural American Initiatives Early Head Start Program

Simply put...Early Head Start is a Child development program (words said by Helen Taylor at a Wave IV EHS orientation). The federal Web page provides a glimpse of how EHS came about and the focus of the program. During the 1994 Reauthorization of Head Start, "Congress acted upon evidence from research and practice which illustrates that early intervention through high quality programs enhances children's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development; enables parents to be better caregivers and teachers to their children; and helps parents meet their own goals, including economic independence."

This small "glimpse" is a huge responsibility: It not only focuses on children's development, but on opportunities for parents to enhance their own skills and work towards self-sufficiency. It simply comes down to relationships...

1. Parents are the first and foremost partners. If the relationship between the staff and parents is strong and built upon trust, working with a small infant becomes much less challenging. Child development services cannot be delivered without the parents' involvement.

2. The relationship necessary between baby and staff is critical for a quality program. Young children need a consistent, warm, nurturing environment to thrive in. It takes a unique person to deliver the opportunities and experiences for young children to grow and develop. Select those individuals carefully and thoughtfully.

3. Community relationships are imperative for a successful EHS. The Head Start Performance Standards are very comprehensive and the task of implementing them cannot be accomplished single-handedly. To establish the wide range of services and support needed for EHS, partnerships (relationships) must be established to assist with the delivery of services.

4. The relationship between staff must be responsive and supportive for the benefit of the children and families. Each interaction with a child connects them to their next level of learning. This cannot be accomplished if staff do not work together as a team and recognize their own strengths and limitations.

Did you recognize four relationships listed above? If you look, you will see the four cornerstones for Early Head Start: Child Development, Family Development, Community Partnerships and Staff Development. If one of these relationships is missing or out of sync, take care of it right away. Early Head Start is about doing it right and doing it thoughtfully – our future is in our hands!

This article is reprinted with permission from the May 2000 issue of Native Horizons. Laura Schad is the Director of the Rural America Initiative in Rapid City, SD. Contact her at T: 605-343-4741 x 201.

 

Effective Relationships: A Key Strategy to Support Quality Service Provision

The following broadcasts aired on the Heads Up! Network. Videotaped copies of the broadcasts will be available in Fall 2000 from the EHS NRC. Topics include:

• Cultivating Reflective Practice in Center-Based and Home-Based Settings – featuring Linda Gilkerson, Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL and Portia Kennel, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago, IL.
  
• Practices that Support Culturally Responsive and Respectful Services, Part I – featuring Tammy Mann, EHS NRC, Washington, DC and Sylvia Sanchez, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
  
• Practices that Support Culturally Responsive and Respectful Services, Part II – featuring Janet Gonzalez-Mena, writer and consultant, Suisun, CA and Intisar Shareef, Contra Costa College, San Pablo, CA.
  
• Supervision as a Tool to Support Reflective Practice – featuring Lauren Bell, Talley Dunn, and Sandy Graham, Southern Oregon Child and Family Council, Central Point, OR.
  
• Training Staff to Work Effectively with Fathers – featuring Ty Minter, Babyland Family Services, Inc., Newark, NJ.
  
• Effective Strategies for Supporting Adolescent Parents – featuring Anita Keislich and Bessie Sanders-Gordon, Sumter School District 17, Early Head Start, Sumter, SC.

Contact Amanda Perez at a.perez@zerotothree.org or call T: (202) 638-1144 about this Infant and Toddler 2000 Distance Education Series available at cost, plus shipping and handling.