HEAD START

Head Start

Kawerak’s Head Start is a pre-school program that promotes social competence and structure among three and four year old children in the Bering Strait region. Strong parental involvement, health and social services are primary components of Head Start’s well-rounded program.

Kawerak Head Start currently serves the following communities: Brevig Mission, Elim, Gambell, Golovin, Koyuk, Nome, Saint Michael, Shaktoolik, Shishmaref, Teller and White Mountain.

All Head Start children are guided in developing social skills, physical fitness and educational tools that give them a head start towards kindergarten. All children receive appropriate developmental screenings and referrals as need. The program is inclusive and 10% of our enrollment is reserved for children with disabilities.

Why Head Start?

• Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families.
• Provides comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school.
• Promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families.
• Engages parents in their children’s learning and help them in making progress toward their goals. Significant emphasis is placed on the involvement of parents in the administration of local Head Start programs.
• Develops trusting, collaborative relationships between parents and staff to support parents as they identify and meet their own goals, nurture the development of their children in the context of their family and culture.

Eligibility

Download and fill out the Head Start application. All documents must be completed and returned by June 15th in order to be considered for the start of the school year. Applications will be accepted year round and children may be accepted during the year if there are open slots.

Nutrition

While at Head Start meals and snacks are provided. All enrolled Head Start children are eligible and participate in the CACF (Child & Adult Care Food Program). “In accordance with Federal law and U. S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

For more information, please contact us at 800.443.5294.

Kawerak’s Early Head Start is a prenatal, birth to three program that promotes social competence and structure for children. Children enrolled must be two or younger on September 1. Our program supports education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.

Kawerak Early Head Start currently serves the following communities: Brevig Mission, Elim, Shishmaref and Nome. In Brevig Mission and Elim we provide center based services and in Nome we provide center based and home based services. In Shishmaref the EHS program is a year-round immersion center based program.

All children enrolled in center-based Early Head Start must qualify as low income, homeless or in state custody/foster care.

Impacts of Early Head Start

Early Head Start is important in recognition of the fact that the earliest years matter a great deal to children’s growth and development. Early Head Start includes a set of principles to nurture healthy attachments between parent and child (and child and caregiver), emphasize a strengths-based, relationship-centered approach to services, and encompass the full range of a family’s needs from pregnancy through a child’s third birthday. They include:

• Positive Relationships and Continuity which honor the critical importance of early attachments on healthy development . Parents are a child’s first, and most important, relationship.
• Parent Involvement activities that offer parents a meaningful and strategic role in our program.
• Prevention and Promotion Activities that both promote healthy development and recognize and address atypical development at the earliest stage possible. Inclusion strategies that respect the unique developmental trajectories of young children in the context of a typical setting, including children with disabilities.
• Cultural competence which acknowledges the profound role that culture plays in early development. We also recognize the influence of cultural values and beliefs on both staff and families’ approaches to child development.
• Comprehensiveness, Flexibility and Responsiveness of services which allow children and families to move across various program options over time, as their life situation demands.
• Collaboration is central to our ability to meet the comprehensive needs of families. Strong partnerships allow us to expand services to families with infants and toddlers beyond our program and into the larger community.

Early Head Start Home-Based Program (Saint Michael)

Enrolled infants, toddlers and expectant mothers receive weekly 90 minute home visits. Home Visitors, together with families, support the child’s learning by using the families’ interactions, daily routines, and household materials. Twice a month enrolled children, families, and home visitors come together for play groups.

The Early Head Start Home-Based program enrolls expectant mothers, infants and toddlers under 3 years old, and provides early learning opportunities and family support.  The Early Head Start program year begins in August with a new application period occurring in the summer months. Applications will continue to be accepted year-round to fill openings on an as-available basis. Program locations include: St Michael

Early Head Start Home-Based offers:

• A No Cost Program
• Experienced, Educated Staff
• Weekly Home Visits
• Bi-Monthly Play Groups
• Developmental Screenings
• Family Support Services
• Services for Children with Disabilities

Enrollment is open to all, but preference is given to families who:

• Meet income guidelines; or
• Receive TANF or SSI; or
• Are homeless; or
• Have a child with a diagnosed disability; or 
• Foster a child in state custody; and
• Are Alaskan Native or American Indian Students

Useful Links and Resources for Parents and Families

Literacy

Online books (E-books)

• http://ebooks.sesamestreet.org.sled.idm.oclc.org/bookshelf
• https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/

Imagination Library (books delivered to your family free!)

• https://imaginationlibrary.com/
• http://www.bestbeginningsalaska.org/imagination-library/books-book-activities

Activities and Parenting Resources

• Best Beginnings Activities
• Sesame Street Toolkits
• PBS Parent Education and Resources
• Healthy Family Recipes

Educational Sites for Children: 

• www.pbskids.org
• www.abcmouse.com
• www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
• http://www.bestbeginningsalaska.org/activities-resources/early-learning-materials

State Resources Links:

• Birth Certificate – http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/VitalStats/Documents/birth/birth_form.pdf
• Public Assistance – http://dpaweb.hss.state.ak.us/e-forms/pdf/GEN%2050C%20(06-3860)%20rev%207.18.pdf
• WIC – https://www.nortonsoundhealth.org/services/community-health-services/wic/

Head Start Links:

• Alaska Head Start Association
• National Head Start Association
• National Indian Head Start Director’s Association
• Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
• Early Head Start National Resource Center
• National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness
• National Center on Health
• National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement
• National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations
• National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning
• CDA Link for staff and families:http://www.cdacouncil.org/