The Office of Head Start has been my choice to research and scan the website. The website offers many resources and 1000’s of Head Start Performance Standards which mandates and governs how programs are to run.
This organization supports my current professional development through “Head Start's commitment to wellness embraces a comprehensive vision of health for children, families, and staff. The objective of Child Health and Development Services is to ensure that, through collaboration among families, staff, and health professionals, all child health and developmental concerns are identified, and children and families are linked to an ongoing source of continuous, accessible care to meet their basic health needs” (OHS website 2011).
The Office of Head Start has been performing research since 2002 in regards to family structure. In a particular article I found about a possible approach to improving child well-being is thus strengthening the relationships of low-income couples through relationship skills education. The website states, “The Building Strong Families (BSF) project, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has been evaluating this kind of approach. The project developed, implemented, and tested voluntary programs that offer relationship skills education and other support services to unwed couples who are expecting a child or who have just had a baby” (OHS website 2011).
I could not find any information that adds to my understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field other than Head Start is a federally funded program.
I found that Head Start offers many opportunities to grow as a leader and ECE advocate for example:
The Office of Head Start 1st National Birth to Five Leadership Institute will provide opportunities for leadership development through the promotion of effective strategies for achieving school readiness and continuous program improvement. While all Head Start staff have a leadership role to play in achieving positive outcomes for children, families, and communities, this Institute is designed for staff and parent leaders. Programs are encouraged to select a team of leaders who, after the Institute, will be prepared to lead the way for 2011 and beyond.
Sounds like a very informative website and one I would like to check out. The article on building stronger relationships for low-income couples is a super idea. I am sure that this project will see success in building stronger families. I will check out this website, especially as I work towards achieving my goal of opening a learning center. Thanks for sharing!
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