Early Head Start - Head Start Preschool 

 

Creating a Welcoming Learning Environment

By Making Friends and Building a Healthy Community

ATCAA Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start offer child enrichment, education, health, nutritional and developmental services as well as parent education and involvement opportunities. ATCAA offers Head Start preschool and State Preschool programs to prepare children for kindergarten, and Early Head Start for pregnant women and children aged birth to three.

 

Children may be enrolled at a Center or in a Home-Based Program. Approximately 300 families are served through these programs.

 

We offer many opportunities for parents to become involved in our program. The Policy Council and the ATCAA Board of Directors work closely in a joint governance model to assure the Early/Head Start Program is serving the children in our communities in the best possible ways. We collaborate with other agencies such as First Five Commissions; Child Abuse Prevention Councils; Nutrition Fitness Council; Parent Advisory Groups;  and many others to bring services to families. Funding is provided by the Federal Government and California Department of Education as well as fundraisers, grants, and donations from local organizations, businesses, and foundations.

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What is Early Head Start?

Early Head Start programs provide family-centered services for low-income families with very young children. These programs are designed to promote the development of the children and to enable their parents to fulfill their roles as parents and to move toward self-sufficiency.

 

Early Head Start programs provide similar services as preschool Head Start programs, but they are tailored for the unique needs of infants and toddlers. Early Head Start programs promote the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers through safe and developmentally enriching caregiving. This prepares these children for continued growth and development and eventual success in school and life.

 

Following the general Head Start model, Early Head Start programs support parents, both mothers and fathers, in their role as primary caregivers and teachers of their children. Programs assist families in meeting their own personal goals and achieving self-sufficiency across a wide variety of domains, such as housing stability, continued education, and financial security.

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What is the Home Base Program?

Many children and parents receive Early Head Start and Head Start services right in their own home! Home visitors come and work with parents and their children. Together, the home visitor and parents watch and think about the child. They plan ways to help the child learn using parent-child interactions, daily routines, and household materials. A small group of children, parents, and their home visitors also get together on a monthly basis for group socializations.

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ATCAA Head Start Food Program

ATCAA Head Start's Nutrition Initiative ensures the complete well-being of your growing child through healthy living, nutritious food, and physical activities. Our goal is to help children develop healthy habits for a healthy future. We ensure that the food we serve Head Start students is well-balanced, homemade, nutritious, and delicious! Our meals are made daily from scratch by on-site cooks at each Head Start location.

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We make healthy choices for healthy kids including:

• Each meal includes fresh fruits and vegetables that we purchase locally.

• We prioritize organic food as much as possible.

• We serve nutritious whole grains loaded with fiber and vitamins.

• Head Start meals are free of artificial dyes, added sugars, and high fructose corn syrup.

• We serve low- or nonfat, rBST-free milk (whole milk for age 2 and under)

• We accommodate your children’s needs into our daily menus.

• All the meat we serve is hormone free, if not organic.

• We encourage children to try new flavors more than once!

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Weekly menus are approved by a registered nutritionist. All servings comply with USDA portion size and nutrition requirements for children. We serve meals family-style to teach children how to share while working on their fine motor skills as they serve themselves. We are committed to each child’s dietary needs, so we are diligent about allergy restrictions and religious beliefs.