Component Areas
Education, Health, Special Needs, Parent Involvement, Nutrition, Social Services, Transportation, Planning, Purchasing
Educational Services in Head Start
The
education staff at NACOG Head Start provides children with activities that
help them grow mentally, socially, emotionally and physically. The Head
Start Education and Early Childhood Development Performance Standards are
incorporated into all program options and settings. NACOG Head Start
operates play-based, developmentally appropriate classrooms for infants,
toddlers and pre-school children. We believe that children learn best by
doing. The most important goal of our curriculum is to help children
become enthusiastic learners. Our teachers encourage children to be
active, inquisitive and creative.
NACOG Head Start uses The Creative Curriculum and The Creative Curriculum
for Infants and Toddlers. These resources were developed by Teaching
Strategies, Inc. and offer quality early childhood curriculum materials
for preschool children and for infants and toddlers. As required by Head
Start Performance Standards, these resources are based on sound child
development theories about how children grow and learn and are inclusive
of children with disabilities.
Our curriculum is designed to give children a successful start in school
by focusing on:
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The activities we plan for children
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The way we organize the environment
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The toys and equipment selected for children
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Attention to lesson planning and daily schedules
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The importance of conversations with children
For more information on Education and Early Childhood Development, please refer to section 1304.21 in the Head Start Performance Standards.
NACOG
Head Start recognizes the importance of identifying and addressing the
health and dental problems early in a child's life so that they do not
interfere with a child's learning and development. The program arranges
comprehensive health care for every child. This includes a complete health
examination with a screening for chronic or disabling conditions, a vision
and hearing test, a dental checkup, and immunizations. Follow-ups are
scheduled for children with any indication of problems. Early Head Start
programs provide crucial prenatal care for pregnant women as well as
training in the care of newborns. These and other Early Head Start
services, such as nutrition counseling, medical and dental examinations,
and mental health services, continue long after delivery.
The safety and well being of both children and staff is of the utmost
importance at NACOG Head Start. All programs are required to have
procedures in place to prevent injuries and to respond to emergencies that
may arise.
Programs comply with strict guidelines for toy safety, cleanliness as well as
playground safety.
Other areas covered under the Health Component are:
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Medication Administration
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Playground Safety
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First Aid
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Dental Health
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Immunizations
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Provider Contracting
Below are some Health & Dental web sites that can provide you with valuable information as a parent or staff member:
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American Academy of Pediatrics |
American Dental Association |
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American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry |
Centers for Disease Control |
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Arizona Department of Health Services |
Web MD |
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US Department of Health & Human Services |
American Medical Assoc./Kids Health |
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Kids Health Organization |
Childbirth Organization |
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Head Start considers that parents are children’s first, and most important teachers. The Head Start program is only as successful as parents help to make it, and it is with this thought in mind that parents and all family members are actively invited to participate in all aspects of the program. Below are listed only a fraction of the opportunities that parents, grandparents & family members have to become involved in Head Start.
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NACDAB Parent Policy Council Member: Every year parent representatives from all of the center & home base programs are elected to be part of this very important board. The NACDAB board has the very important responsibilities of approving the hiring of program staff, as well as the approval of the program budgets for both our Head Start & Early Head Start programs.
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Classroom volunteers and substitute staff
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Participation in children’s physical & dental exams
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Lesson Planning with the teaching staff
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General help with maintenance & upkeep of facilities
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Participation in activities that can be worked on with the family at home (Home Tasks)
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Attendance at monthly parent meetings and trainings
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Participation as a Parent Mentor & helping to welcome and advocate for other parents in the program
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Development of a site newsletter for families
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Bus monitor volunteers for those sites with transportation
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Recruiters of other families for Head & Early Head Start programs
As part of NACOG Head Start’s ongoing commitment to career development, parents in the Head Start program are afforded many opportunities to further their own education. We offer help for families who need to complete their General Education Development equivalency exam (GED), or for those who would like to further their skills in learning the English language (ESOL). Through partnerships with many community colleges Head Start families can register for classes to receive their Child Development Associates credential (CDA) in Early Childhood Development.
For further information on Parent Involvement please refer to the Head Start Performance Standards. All areas of the standards include general references to parent involvement. For specific information, please refer to Section 1304.40.
NACOG Head Start’s Child Nutrition Services assist families in meeting each child’s nutrition needs while promoting the development of good eating habits. Certain standards and procedures have been implemented in the following areas to improve and maintain the health and nutritional status of infants, toddlers, and pre-school children.
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The identification of each child’s nutritional needs is determined by a nutritional assessment that is performed each year for all enrolled children. Nutrition assessment date include the hemoglobin/hematocrit results, height and weight as plotted on the growth charts, and information gathered from family eating patterns that include cultural preferences, special dietary requirements or feeding requirements.
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The NACOG Head Start Nutrition Program encompasses many nutritional services within the various communities to meet the nutritional needs and feeding requirements of each child. Nutrition Consultants are available to provide parent counseling regarding the nutritional status of their child and provide staff and parents with nutrition education as needed. They also provide technical assistance with menu planning, food budgeting, sanitation and special diets. Nutritional needs and requirements are met by contracting with food service providers through school districts or senior center settings. The quality of food served involves parents, community agencies and partners to ensure that meals meet cultural preferences and comply with USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal pattern requirements. Information about major community nutritional issues are identified through the Community Assessment and by the Health Services Advisory Committee (HSAC). Other local partners, such as the Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are helpful in providing assistance.
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Family Style Meal Service is the method of meals service that NACOG Head Start practices. The many benefits of family style meals include: children learning how to serve themselves the right amounts of food in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, developing social skills by sharing a variety of foods that consider cultural and ethnic preferences, and developing language skills by participating in mealtime conversation.
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Parent nutrition education opportunities are offered through NACOG Head Start by qualified nutrition consultants who assist parents and staff in developing nutrition-related skills and food preparation skills. Parents are encouraged to select nutrition education activities such as Meal Planning for Pre-School Children, Healthy Snacks, Stretching Your Food Dollar, How to Read a Food Label, and Cooking With Your Child which are used to develop parent education trainings that are intended to extend nutritional skills into the home. Nutrition activities are required monthly for each center that provides an opportunity to involve children and parents with food-related activities that promote the preparation of foods that are high in nutrients and low in fat, sugar and salt.
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Food Safety and Sanitation permits are posted and kept on file to assure that all the center based programs provide evidence that food service and handling are in compliance to all state and local statutes, rules and ordinances. In addition, NACOG Head Start only contracts with food service providers that are licensed in accordance with state, and local laws.
The philosophy of social services in Head Start
is that of supporting families. The
social services component of Head Start represents an organized method of
assisting families to assess their needs, as well as providing those services
and opportunities that will build upon the individual strengths of families to
meet their own needs. In Head Start,
services are conducted in partnership with families, not for them.
Head Start staff is hired to provide
families with information about the program and about support services
that are available in the community; to assist families in locating and
securing any needed services; to serve as advocates for Head Start and for
families; to encourage families to build and share the many existing
strengths that they already have.
Within NACOG Head Start & Early Head
Start Social Services is made up of the following areas:
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Recruitment & Enrollment: Through the efforts of staff & parents eligible children & families are located and enrolled in the program.
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Family Advocates & Family Advocate Aides: Each site has a Family Advocate that is hired specifically to work with families in developing partnerships, as well as to be a resource for anyone in need of extra support.
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Home Visits: These visits are conducted twice a year with families in their own homes to help continue to build relationships between staff and parents. It is through these visits that everyone involved gains a better perspective of how we can work together, and share in the responsibility of providing the best possible education for each child and family.
For further information on Social Services in Head Start please read through Section 1304.40, Family & Community Partnerships, of the Head Start Performance Standards.
NACOG
Head Start provides door-to-door school bus and contracted transportation
in certain areas throughout Northern Arizona.
These are the areas scheduled to operate transportation services for the
2001-2002 school year: Flagstaff, Holbrook, Fredonia, Cottonwood, St.
Johns, Springerville, Show Low, and Sedona.
How can I qualify? Demonstration of need is based on financial
inability to self-transport and location of residence.
What do I need to take the bus? A car seat and subsequent training.
Ok, how much? It’s FREE!! But, we need volunteers for bus
monitors, carpooling, lunch aids and teacher aids!
For more information on Head Start or for transportation, call (520) 774-
9504
Check these sites out for more information on Head Start, child safety
restraint systems (CSRS) and bus transportation.
STN On-line | NHTSA.org
| NHSA.org
Since the agency’s inception, NACOG Head Start has prided itself on its planning capabilities. The chart below is from the Head Start Performance Standards and illustrates the Head Start planning philosophy. At NACOG Head Start, planning is based on the principle that our children and their families are the heart of our program. The agency also believes that our staff, partners, Policy Council, Regional Council, and community members are essential to the continued success of the program. In fact, community partnerships have increased over recent years and have included Northern Arizona University and the Department of Economic Security. Community involvement in the planning process has also increased through the use of telephone surveys and other public forums like town halls. As this chart shows, program assessment is an integral component of the planning cycle and has received greater emphasis through more sophisticated survey instruments and a broader base of survey areas, including areas of interest to the agency like multiculturalism. Future planning activities will continue to be designed with this enhanced philosophy in mind.
The mission of the NACOG Head Start purchasing department is to provide efficient and responsive procurement services and obtain high quality goods and services at a reasonable cost. The procurement department adheres to NACOG Procurement procedure while adhering to state, federal , and national Head Start policies.
The purchasing department also maintains a centralized warehouse where stock inventory is supplied to the Head Start centers throughout our four county region.
Purchasing procurement dates: 2001 - 2002
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Center program vendor/supplier evaluations are conducted to access vendors performance during the past school year.
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May - bid packages (RFP's) will be sent out approved vendors. NACOG Head Start identifies the services and products it wishes to purchase and solicits proposals for the provision of those services.
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June - Evaluation and selection will be done for only those proposals classed in the initial review as potentially acceptable. Evaluations are conducted with the underlying goal of ensuring that the types, quantity and quality of services meet NACOG services and funding priorities. Master agreements will issued to vendors selected through this evaluation process.
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August - Delivery of supplies to Head Start centers.
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December - Mid year purchases will be conducted utilizing the master agreements.
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The following are commodities that the NACOG Head Start program could possibly bid on:
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Educational supplies
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Educational equipment
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Outdoor playground equipment
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Office supplies, equipment
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Computers
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Modular units, etc.
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NACOG Head Start, 121 E. Aspen Ave., Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: 928.774.9504 Fax: 928.779.0514
Email: HeadStart@NACOG.org