Head Start Program
Parent Involvement in the classroom can greatly affect success of young children in pre-school. The Head Start Program was originally created to study the family system, and to test the notion that joint parent-child interaction in a pre-school setting would be the most beneficial form of parent involvement (Chalkley & Leik, 1990). Findings from this project revealed numerous benefits that were not envisioned (Chalkley & Leik, 1990). Head Start Programs have now flourished throughout the country, and today provide childcare for many needy families. The great success of these schools could be due to the acceptance and encouragement of parental involvement. These programs are constantly doing their best to accommodate working parents for whom it is a challenge to participate in the program. This is a difficult task for Head Start Programs to achieve, and they each have their own methods of promoting parent involvement in hopes of bettering the education and well roundedness of the students attending their program. At Head Start, the goal is much more than parents being class volunteers or chaperones on field trips. They strive for parents to play an active role in policy and program decision-making, such as approval of the
One study by Sharon Landesman Ramey states a list of points that drastically make a difference in a child's well being. In one Migrant Head Start Program, staff members make site-visits to camps where parents work to invite them in person to attend school functions (Cantu & Fuentes 1996). One case aid at this program makes personal visits to 16 families in their shelters or motels every 2 weeks. They have established "buddy programs", mentoring projects, and other family support groups to help these families form bonds with other families like their own. Head Start Program staff does their best to alleviate this stress by making communication readily available to these parents. Although the parents cannot be involved in the school setting, these sessions inform them of how to benefit their children in alternate ways. This particular program in Newark also works closely with local health clinics, the welfare board, and the WIC food program, and this makes contact easier for homeless parents (Anderson & Koblinsky, 1993). Many homeless mothers work during the day, and therefore their child or children spend the majority of their day in childcare. They have also attempted to make homeless parents feel independent and powerful by including them on Policy Councils, which gives them a chance to participate in decision-making about the program (Anderson & Koblinsky, 1993). When inviting families to school functions, they may need more than a simple letter sent home. They have established many links with community agencies serving the homeless, such as federal entitlement programs, health facilities, social service agencies, job training programs, food and clothing banks, churches, volunteer clubs, schools, and the business community (Anderson & Koblinsky, 1993). Therefore, Parents must be reassured that their input is welcomed and desired by program staff. Early Childhood is a crucial time in all of our lives, and many factors during this period can affect the person we will be in the future. This is the first step toward opening the lines of communication and mutual respect with the parents (Cantu & Fuentes 1996).
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