442 / 454
www.zeroproject.org
office@zeroproject.org
O
BJECTIVES
/G
OALS
To promote the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional
development in a learning environment that supports children’s growth in language, literacy, mathematics, science,
social and emotional functioning, creative arts, physical skills, and approaches to learning; and through the provision to
low-income children and their families of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services that are determined,
based on family needs assessments, to be necessary.
K
EY
F
EATURES
(W
ITH
A
DDITIONS FROM THE
Z
ERO
P
ROJECT
T
EAM
)
The Head Start Programme is to be classified as a
national legally-binding regulatory and distributive policy
that
promotes school readiness of children under 5 from mainly low-income families (but also from families encountering
other difficulties) through education, health, social and other services.
1.
The Head Start Programme includes: Head Start services to preschool children; Early Head Start (EHS) services
to infants, toddlers, and pregnant women; services to families by American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN)
programs; and services to families by Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs. Based on the “whole
child philosophy” it provides to eligible children: educational services to foster the development of children’s
language skills, self-reliance, and self-esteem; health services to provide complete medical and dental
examinations and immunizations; social services; nutrition services that would consist in providing food and
nutritional information; as well as parental involvement services that would include parents as nonprofessional
teacher aides and teach parents skills such as child-rearing and English language.
2.
These services are adapted to the needs of the child and family. They are provided by a large variety of agencies
(public agencies, private nonprofit and for-profit organizations, tribal governments, and school systems) to
which federal grants are awarded directly for the purpose of operating Head Start programmes in local
communities.
3.
Annually the Congress of the United States authorizes the amount of federal spending for Head Start, which is
administered and overseen by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF, in particular the Office of Head
Start) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
4.
Each year, Head Start programmes are required to submit Program Information Reports (PIRs) on the services
they have provided to children and families throughout the programme year, including child, family, and staff
demographics and program characteristics.
The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 makes quality improvements in all areas of the programme.
In terms of disability, the Act:
1.
Defines infant, toddlers and children with disabilities as of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
2.
Demands assistance for teachers on methods of teaching children with disabilities and to improve the
qualifications and skills of educational personnel to teach and provide services to those children.
3.
Asks for physical environments and programmes to be accessible.
4.
Demands policies and procedures to assure that,