1. Head Start
1965-Present

2. Why was Head Start created?
• To stop juvenile delinquency.
Experts who studied the way to stop juvenile delinquency
believed the answer was, Stop poverty, stop juvenile
delinquency.
Poverty= juvenile delinquency
Thus began The War on
Poverty and Head Start.

3. One of the answers to resolving juvenile
delinquency was the development of Head
Start
• 1965, nearly half of the nation’s poor where young
children. The Johnson Administration’s Child development
experts had found that early intervention programs could
significantly affect:
 cognitive development
 socio-emotional development

4. What is Head Start…
•Federal program for preschool children from low-income
families.
•The Head Start program is operated by local non-profit
organizations in almost every county in the country.
•Children who attend Head Start participate in a variety of
educational activities. Services are offered to meet the special
needs of children with disabilities as well as low income families.

5. In the Beginning:
O Head Start began as an eight-week summer program.
O Within the first few years, many of these summer programs
became nine-month, half-day programs.
O Head Start is part of the Office of Child Development in the
Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare. (These offices were
later named the Administration on Children, Youth and
Families within DHS).
O NORWESCAP is the name given to the Early Head Start
services provided to Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren
Counties of New Jersey.

6. The Services that both NORWESCAP/ Early
Head Start and Head Start Provide:
 Most of the Children in
• Educational
NORWESCAP are infants to
• Free medical
toddlers . But also includes
• Dental care
Prenatal Care.
• Healthy meals and snacks
• Financial services  Most children in Head Start
• Prenatal services
are between the ages of 3
• Infant services
and 5 years old.
• Toddlers services

7. Northwest New Jersey
Community Action
Partnership

9. Mission
Helping families find pathways out of poverty
to reach their goals and attain self sufficiency

10. Head Start focal Points in
helping the community

Health

Nutrition

Education
Social Services
Parent involvement

11. Head Start Curriculum
Head Starts Curriculum must follow the requirements of the Head Start Program Performance
Standards and based on sound child development principles.
Head Start defines this Performance Standard as the following a written plan which includes:
•Goals for children's development and learning;
•Experiences through which they will achieve the goals;
•Roles for staff and parents to help children to achieve these goals; and
•Materials needed to support the implementation of a curriculum.
•Curriculum in Head Start is also based on the Program Performance Standards and Sound
Child Development Principles.
.

12. Faculty Credential
Early Head Start teachers must have:
•Minimum of a child development associate (CDA) credential
•Trained (or have completed equivalent coursework) in early
childhood development
•Early Head Start teachers must be trained (or have
completed equivalent coursework) in early childhood
development with a focus on infant and toddler development.

14. Parent Involvement
• Parents can participate in the planning of their
child's program.
• Guidance for parents to help provide for their child
in all the necessary ways.
• Classes for parents to talk about their common
concerns with their children, such as growth,
development and discipline.

15. Funding for Head Start
Over the Years
• Federal and State Funding:
• Then~1965- $96.4 million budget and served
561,000 children in summer programs.
• Now~$85 million over FY 2012, to maintain services
for the 962,000 children currently participating in the
program.
• Funding also comes private companies and
businesses that donate to the program to help Head
Starts mission.

16. Pros and Cons of Head
Start

17. Pros
• Educational Benefits
• Health Benefits
• Economic Benefits
• Law Enforcement Benefits
• Parental Skills

18. Cons
• Their has not been
a noticeable
difference in
children
performance after
first grade
• Teacher
Qualifications
• Taxpayers annual
investment of over
$ 8 billion dollars

19. Conclusion
Head Start has shown benefits in children ages 3 - 4
yrs. old in their cognitive, health, parenting domains
as well as social-emotional domain/behaviors. The
program leads in some cases to improve parent -
children relationships. It has long term effects with
children as they progress to higher grades. The
program also helps with their school skills and their
ability to progress.

20. The Head Start programs allow students/children to
grow socially as we'll as educationally. It allows for
children to start the learning process at an early age
and provides programs to parents to further enrich the
lives of their children.
Head Start faces many obstacles in the future and
improvement is needed. But it is an essential part of
the educational system of the United States and its
contribution should not be minimized.

21. The following are testimonials and one of the many
successful stories of Head Start:
OYou Tube From Head Start to Harvard
OYou Tube Clemesia/Marcus Whitmore
and Marvastine Whitmore-Southeast
Arkansas Community Action
Corporation

22. The work begins anew.
The hope rises again. And the dream
lives on….
~Senator Edward M. Kennedy

23. Bibliography
• Kipnis, F. & Whitebook M. (August 2012). Mapping Current
Professional Preparation and Professional Development
Opportunities for New Jersey’s Early Learning Workforce.
Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care
Employment, University of California at Berkeley
• http://www.norwescap.org/index.php
• www.nhsa.org/services/find_a_head_start_program
• www.nj.gov/education/ece/hs/curriculum.pdf
• princeton.edu/futureofchildren/.../head-start-to-cut-or-not-to-
c...
• www.washingtonpost.com ›Discuss
• eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta.../fiscal_pub_00207_091905.ht
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