What Sets Us Apart
Early learning and development:
- Children receive individualized learning experiences that foster readiness for school and beyond. Areas for children’s development include social skills, emotional well-being, language and literacy skills, mathematics, and science concepts.
- Children grow in many aspects of development through relationships with adults, play, and planned and spontaneous instruction activities that are developmentally appropriate and diverse.
- Families are supported by Head Start staff, school districts, and other entities to facilitate a smooth transition to kindergarten for their child.
Health and Nutrition:
- Programs help connect families with medical and dental services to ensure children are receiving the care and attention they need.
- Children receive health screenings.
- Children get nutritious meals as part of the center-based services each day. Meals served follow Child and Adult Care Feeding Program guidelines and are approved by a registered dietitian.
Family & Community Partnerships:
- Parents and families are offered program services to support family well-being and to achieve family goals, such as housing stability, continued education, and financial security.
- Family Services staff build partnerships with families that support and strengthen parent-child relationships and engage families in the learning and development of their child.
- Through Parent Meetings, workshops, and activities, parents can connect with other parents, learning new skills, and provide input to program services and operations.
Early Intervention & Wellness Support Services:
- Programs work collaboratively with educational and county agencies to recruit and provide needed Early Intervention services for children in an inclusive environment.
- Center-based children are screened for speech and language development by the LEA Appalachia Intermediate Unit 08.
- Support is available to children and families for building resiliency to cope with possible adverse effects of trauma and other mental health needs.
- Advocacy and support is available to families when arranging for specialized services to meet the early intervention, mental health, and behavioral needs of their child.
Transportation:
- Children may be transported on mini-school buses.
- Buses are equipped with 5-point child safety harnesses.
- An Aide rides the bus to assist the children when getting on and off the bus and buckling into the harnesses.
- During the bus ride, the Aide engages the children in conversation about their day or what they see out the window as an extension of their daily learning activities.
- All of our bus drivers must have a commercial CDL School Bus Driver’s license.