Letter to the Editor: Submitted by Martin L. Ahrndt
To the Editor:
October 1, 2023, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation declaring October 2023 as Head Start Awareness Month in Iowa. This proclamation coincides with the national campaign recognizing October as Head Start Awareness month.
But what is Head Start, you may ask? Head Start is exactly what its name implies, it is a federal program designed to give children ages three and four a head start in their academic lives. The goal is to help these students have the academic, emotional and social tools needed to be successful in kindergarten and beyond.
Just last year alone in Iowa, the 18 Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the state served over 7,200 children aged 0-5 and expectant mothers. These programs give priority to children with disabilities, families experiencing homelessness, children in foster care and families whose income is below 100% of the federal poverty level. However, there are families from many economic levels enrolled in Head Start every year.
Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) provides the support and resources to improve the stability and quality of life for individuals and families with limited resources living in Allamakee, Bremer, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties. In the seven-county area served by NEICAC, 259 students were served through Head Start last year and 124 children were supported through Early Head Start. In the last ten years, NEICAC’s Head Start program has served 1,870 students, and the Early Head Start program has served 626 children.
Having preschool classes is common today, but in 1965 when “Project Head Start” began as part of President Johonson’s “War on Poverty” this was a revolutionary concept. At that time in history many schools did not even offer kindergarten, let alone anything prior to that grade.
As a former teacher, however, President Johnson knew that a critical way to help break the cycle of poverty and raise families out of poverty was through education. As a teacher, President Johnson had observed that the children of impoverished families had a more difficult time in the classroom and therefore needed extra assistance.*
Head Start’s goal in 1965 and today are the same, to give children a Head Start, an advantage or support. It recognizes that children from disadvantaged homes, and those with disabilities, need early intervention to prepare them for school success. Investment in children and their families at a young age can, and does, have long-term positive outcomes for the child and society at large.
In 1967 Congress took its support for families one step further and authorized “The Parent and Child Centers Project” that allowed Head Start services to be offered to families with children aged 0-3 and expectant mothers. In 1995, it was set apart as its own program known as Early Head Start.
Early Head Start is an in-home based parent support program.
Head Start is a full-day, five-day-a-week pre-school that helps students be ready for the normal school schedule. It also provides wrap-around services to those who qualify. As a federally funded program, families enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start pay no tuition, no meal/snack costs and all supplies are provided.
Head Start is more than just a typical preschool classroom experience, it also recognizes that to help students, parents and families must also be supported. Head Start connects each family with a Family Service Specialist to provide support, referral services, and help families set and achieve family goals that go beyond academics. Early Head Start families are connected to a Home Visitor who works with the family and children each week in their home.
Families can apply for Early Head Start and Head Start online at www.neicac.org or contact the Family Service Specialist in their local county. Head Start serves all seven counties in the NEICAC service area and Early Head Start serves families in Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties.
* Information shared about the history of Head Start and President Johnson came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center website: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/about-us/article/head-start-timeline.
Martin L. Ahrndt
Family and Community Partnership Enrollment Specialist
Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation
