Head start was an anti-poverty program that built on a strong base of civil rights advocacy and a long history of private and government funded childhood education program. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in the front line to help the country focus on the needs of underrepresented groups such as the black community which led to the declaration by the Supreme Court that racial segregation was unconstitutional. Besides, Lady Bird Johnson worked tirelessly as the national spokeswoman for the program to help unite individuals from various groups to join the program. However, there were those who felt that for the program to work, children must be removed from the influence of their parents who were not meeting their needs (Paciorek, 2014). This perspective led to the suggestions that the poor in the society needed to be educated, to have opportunities to learn the values embraced by middle-class America and hence introduce them to work ethics. On the other hand, there was a group of people who felt that the program could work better if parents participated in both education and decision making.
Head start program was incepted for two primary purposes to provide comprehensive health, nutrition, and education services for the young generation especially the kids which would help in attaining social competence. However, the program was also to give families with low income a voice and a chance to participate and enjoy the national cake. Parents were given executive responsibilities of the program that included planning the center environment and curriculum. To ensure that the parents of the children in the program enjoyed and benefitted from the program, Section 70.2 mandated that these parents constitute a majority on the policy board and described ways in which the board could influence the running of the program. The program in a significant manner helps to serve diverse populations through emphasizing on respect for and serving the needs of, diverse population in the society. Through the program, it was impossible for them to ignore and neglect these groups that would later become larger segments of the population. However, different people have varied feelings towards the success of the programs with some felt that the program was a success while others felt that it was a total failure. Despite these mixed results, the program has benefitted from Children Development Associate (CDA) which takes advantage of recent technologies to build on competence and provide safe and healthy learning environments (Paciorek, 2014). Head start has maintained its commitment over the years, despite the fact that maximum feasible participation has limited parent involvement in the governing and decision making in the group. The program continues to build on its strong early education and social justice foundation.
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Head start matters to every single child, especially to that child who comes from the underrepresented community as the program is committed to giving every single child, regardless of the circumstances at birth, an opportunity to succeed in school and life. The program has helped more that 32 million children and families who have gone on to become lawyers, pilots, doctors and other important individuals in the society (Leow, 2016). To make sure that the program gives the best to the kid, they usually offer five conferences and training events each and every single year thus exposing the children and the youths to the real world and what they should expect in life after the programs. Moreover, the program offers the parent and annual conferences, two leadership institutes where each event offers a unique opportunity for both the children and the parents to learn from experts and also have a chance to interact with them considering that some may be role models to the children and parents too (Mancilla-Martinez, 2014).
The program is unique from other programs, both governmental and non-governmental considering that it means success to children who might otherwise struggle throughout their lives. Although the program does not reveal the criterion they use to tell whether the children come from poor as well as underrepresented communities, it makes all the children equally (Kelley, 2014). Moreover, the program can be said to follow biblical teachings where the Bible states that “if any of the towns in the land that the Lord your God is giving you there is a fellow-Israelite in need, then do not be selfish and refuse to help him. Instead be generous and lend him as much as he needs.” (Deut. 15:7-8). This verse shows that God appreciates cheerful givers considering that we all are equal in his eyes and created in his image. Despite facing numerous challenges, the program is still committed to ensuring that it provides comprehensive health, nutrition, and education services to children. The program offers a platform for the study of effective child development and learning through extensive research to reinvigorate practices and to ensure that the program meets the needs of the children by creating a deep understanding of how they learn and what supports healthy learning and development (Ansari, 2016).
References
Ansari, A. P. (2016). Classroom Age Composition and the School Readiness of 3-and 4- Year-Olds in the Head Start Program. . Psychological science, 27(1), , 53-63.
Kelley, S. (2014). Teacher-Child Interaction and Child Outcomes: Puget Sound Educational Service District Head Start Preschool Programs 2012-2013.
Leow, C. &. (2016). Is Full Day Better Than Half Day? A Propensity Score Analysis of the Association Between Head Start Program Intensity and Children’s School Performance in Kindergarten. Early Education and Development, , 1-16.
Mancilla-Martinez, J. &. (2014). Promoting Shared Cultural and Linguistic Backgrounds among Children and Families in Early Head Start/Head Start Programs. Dialog, 17, , 3.
Paciorek, K. M. (2014). Annual editions: Early childhood education 14/15 (35th ed.). New York, NY:: McGraw-Hill. .
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