KAYSVILLE – A big underlying goal within Head Start’s efforts is preparing the students for entrance into kindergarten and the traditional school experience.
“We’re working hard on it,” said Judy Jackson, director of Davis County Head Start.
That means helping students and parents in getting their children ready, ultimately, to enter kindergarten, said MariAnne Henderson, education manager.
Families play a critical role in helping their children prepare for school and a lifetime of academic success, said Roger King, infant, toddler and health manager.
Five “essential domains” are part of that readiness, including language and literacy, cognition and general knowledge, approaches to learning, physical development and health, and social and emotion development, he said.
Early Head Start and Head Start emphasize strong parental involvement as a part of their regular programs. That includes regular parent volunteerism in their children’s classroom.
Classes are provided for parents who don’t speak English as a native language, Jackson said.
“Parents want to learn English. They are anxious,” because they know it will be a strong benefit, she said.
Each child is closely assessed three times a year on such issues as understanding number concepts, cognition, general knowledge and more, Henderson said.
Goals are set in each area and plans set up for teachers to work with parents on helping individual children succeed, she said.
“The big focus is on the individual,” King said. “We want to make sure each child is getting what he or she needs.”
For more information check out the Nov.22 edition of Davis CLipper.
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