Head Start
Historical Perspective
Head Start is a federal program established in 1965 that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Head Start programs provide a learning environment that supports children's growth in the following domains:
- language and literacy;
- cognition and general knowledge;
- physical development and health;
- social and emotional development; and
- approaches to learning.
Program Commitments
Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social, and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child and family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.
Head Start emphasizes the role of parents as their child's first and most important teacher. Head Start programs build relationships with families that support:
- family well-being and positive parent-child relationships;
- families as learners and lifelong educators;
- family engagement in transitions;
- family connections to peers and community; and
- families as advocates and leaders.
Partnership Model
The Education Service Center, Region 20 Head Start Program is a partnership model that works collaboratively with ten local school districts in four counties:
- Atascosa County - Lytle ISD, Pleasanton ISD
- Bandera County - Bandera ISD
- Bexar County - Alamo Heights ISD, Somerset ISD, Southside ISD, and Southwest ISD
- Medina County - Natalia ISD, Devine ISD, and Hondo ISD
Education Service Center, Region 20 is the Head Start grantee for Bandera and Medina County, as well as, part of Atascosa and Bexar County. The partnership model allows the district, state-supported Pre-Kindergarten programs the opportunity to offer full-day services for three and four-year-old children.
Each classroom is staffed with a degreed, certified teacher, and a full-time assistant. Family service associates support case loads of 20 to 30 families to ensure needs are met. Family service associates are trained and receive their Family Services Credential.
One of the many benefits of the partnership model is that both programs capitalize on each other's strengths, thereby providing improved quality educational services for children.
District Web Sites
Alamo Heights ISD - www.ahisd.net
Bandera ISD - www.banderaisd.net
Devine ISD - www.devineisd.org
Hondo ISD - www.hondoisd.net
Lytle ISD - www.lytleisd.org
Natalia ISD - www.nataliaisd.net
Devine ISD - www.devineisd.org
Hondo ISD - www.hondoisd.net
Lytle ISD - www.lytleisd.org
Natalia ISD - www.nataliaisd.net
Pleasanton ISD - www.pisd.us
Somerset ISD - http://sisdk12.edlioschool.com
Southside ISD - www.southsideisd.org
Southwest ISD - www.swisd.net
Southside ISD - www.southsideisd.org
Southwest ISD - www.swisd.net
