Prenatal to Five Head Start FAQs
What is Head Start?
Head Start is a program that is funded by the federal government. The overall goal of Head Start is for children to gain social competence and for parents to become self-sufficient.
Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and their families. They are child-focused programs, and have the overall goal of increasing the social competence of young children in low-income families.
What is the difference between Center-Based Head Start and Home-Based Head Start?
Centers generally refer to classrooms. Similar Head Start services and opportunities are available to families in either program option. Generally in smaller communities, there aren’t enough eligible children to make it feasible to have a center. Rural Head Start is more focused on individual family needs. Rapid City Head Start offers more of a preschool environment.
How do I know if I’m eligible for Head Start?
Enrollment in Head Start is based on age and income. Children must be age 3 or 4 on or before Sept. 1, to be enrolled. Income guidelines are established by the federal government each year. The program is designed for children from low-income families or children with disabilities.
How much does it cost?
There's no cost. We do ask for parent's contribution of time. Parents are an essential part of all Head Start activities.
Will my child learn to read and write in Head Start?
Each child learns at his or her own rate, when he or she is ready. Head Start believes in working on the building blocks of preparing to read and write, much like learning to crawl before learning how to walk. Identifying shapes comes before identifying letters of the alphabet. We will work at the individual level of each child, keeping kindergarten readiness in mind.
What are the components of Head Start?
- Early Childhood Education and Health Services – This includes child health, safety, mental health, nutrition, education and early childhood development.
- Family & Community Partnerships – This includes partnerships with families, parents and the community.
- Program Design & Management – This component ensures that high-quality services are delivered to children and families.
Each component has a coordinator or a director responsible for completion of the requirement of Head Start and is a resource to the Home Visitor and to parents.
What is a Home Visitor?
In Rural Head Start, a Home Visitor is a teacher who is trained to work with parents and children. Once each week for 1 and 1/2 hours, the Home Visitor comes to the home to plan and share activities that will benefit the growth and development of each child using some items found in the home that can be used for teaching and learning.
I thought Head Start was for my child. Why do I have to be involved in the Home Visit?
Parents are a child’s first teacher. Parents know their child better than anybody else. Parents can continue teaching their child when they attend Head Start functions. Parents are expected to be an active part of the teaching and lesson planning.
How else can parents be involved?
Besides volunteering time with children, parents may serve on Parent Association. This group also elects representatives to the Head Start Policy Council, which oversees and approves Head Start activities, along with the Youth & Family Services Board of Directors.
Tell me more about parent trainings.
Subjects such as CPR, managing difficult behaviors, meal planning, self-protection, basic auto maintenance and holiday crafts have been offered. Parent Interest Surveys tell us what parents are interested in. We do our best to line up resources that provide information or training.
My child has a disability. Is that a problem?
No. A minimum of 10 percent enrollment opportunities in Head Start are made available for children with disabilities. We work with school districts and the Individual Education Plan (IEP) that has been developed for each child. We can help reinforce the IEP goals.
What's required for my child to register?
To make sure every child is healthy and ready to learn, we require physical and dental exams, immunization records and health history records. We also require a birth certificate, completed application, social security numbers, emergency contacts, and proof of income. You can download and print the Head Start application online.
(The application requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be obtained here.)
Anything else?
A Family Services Assessment is completed so we can find local resources to help meet any needs the family has indicated and to build on the strengths of each family. Family Partnership Agreements are completed with each family to assist the parents with developing goals for their family and the child for the program year.
