<p><strong><em>Celebrating 50 years of Head Start</em></strong><br></p><p>“Five- and six-year-old children are inheritors of poverty’s curse and not its creators. Unless we act, these children will pass it on to the next generation, like a family birthmark.”</p><p>—President Lyndon B. Johnson in a 1965 speech announcing the implementation of the Head Start Program as part of his War on Poverty campaign</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><ul> <li>2015 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the nationwide Head Start Program. </li><li>Its tenets remain the premier model for granting children opportunities for success. </li><li>Graduates of Head Start have continued on to become members of Congress, Grammy-winning musicians, professors, and lawyers, among other noteworthy achievements. </li></ul><p><strong>Program basics</strong></p><p>The goal of Head Start is to provide a comprehensive developmental program that prepares children for a successful transition to elementary school. Since its inception, Head Start has been a reliable resource for single moms. Income-eligible children, aged three to five, are selected for inclusion. Programs for infants and toddlers also have become available. The program also strongly encourages the child’s family and community to become involved in the child’s learning. For Solo Moms, Head Start provides a bridge to community services and connects them to support groups and other <a href="https://esme.com/resources/c/parenting" target="_blank" class="wordlink">parenting</a> resources. </p><p><strong>How Head Start helps</strong> </p><p><em><a href="https://esme.com/resources/c/education" target="_blank" class="wordlink">Education</a>: </em>The program offers a variety of activities to help each child learn basic skills that will be needed in elementary school. Detection, intervention, and remediation of learning problems are strengths of this program.</p><p><em>Health:</em> Head Start offers medical necessities to children, including immunizations; dental, medical, and mental health services; nutritional services; and screenings for early identification of health problems.</p><p><em>Social services:</em> Outreach is available to families to determine what services their children need.</p><p><em>Interaction:</em> Parents are involved in the planning and implementation of Head Start activities. They serve on policy councils and committees that make administrative decisions, participate in classes and workshops on child development, and volunteer in the program.</p><p><em>Early Head Start:</em> This program offers comprehensive services to pregnant women and their children through age three with the triple goals of fostering prenatal health, enhancing very early child development, and establishing healthy family functioning. Early Head Start also helps with care for disabled children and can provide resources to parents whose children require vigilant supervision. Early Head Start coordinates with local Head Start programs to give children continuity of services as they grow older.</p><p><strong>Am I eligible?</strong></p><p>To participate in Head Start, the family’s income must fall below the federal poverty line. Local programs are allowed to serve up to 10% of children whose family income is over the poverty line. Program must use another 10% of open spaces for children with disabilities.</p><p><strong>If you think you and your child might benefit from joining the Head Start program, <a href="https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/For%20Parents/inside%20head%20start/frequently%20asked%20questions%20%28faqs%29/howdoiapplyfo.htm" target="_blank">click here</a> to find out if you are eligible.</strong></p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p>Head Start provides vital education, health, social services, and early intervention support to low-income families.</p><hr>
<p><strong><em>Five ways to ensure backup child care</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong></p><p>My journey as a <a href="https://esme.com/voices/perspectives/whats-a-solo-mom" target="_blank" class="wordlink">Solo Mom</a> began after months of severe emotional abuse, which grew even worse after I was separated from the abuser. My inner dialogue reflected his, and I’d isolated myself to the point of having very few friends. Even when I tried, I had a hard time connecting with people. When my daughter had just turned four, I decided to move us 500 miles away from the Seattle area to Missoula, Montana. After trying to build connections for about six months, we started to have a community around us. More so, we were both becoming happier, more confident, fun people that others wanted to spend time with. By the time Mia began preschool and I started college full-time, my list of people available to watch her if I needed was long. Here’s how I got there:</p><p><strong>1. Form a community</strong></p><p>I am an introvert with a capital “I.” Reaching out to begin conversations is not my jam. So I joined groups on Facebook and went to family functions, allowing my kid’s extroversion to help us meet people. I talked to my neighbors. I got outside. I spoke honestly about struggles I had. I asked for help. I went to potlucks. I lived in a place that welcomed us. I got over myself, my bad feelings, and put out my hand to shake others’. People weren’t scary to me anymore, because I no longer feared the person I was and loved her instead.</p><p><strong>2. Have backups for your backups</strong></p><p>This may go without saying, but there’s a dance to backup child care. I had a roommate—usually a younger college student—who took one of the bedrooms while my daughter and I shared the other one. I gave the roommate a break on rent to watch my kid from time to time. In addition to that, I had a list of about ten people who I rotated through asking for help. At my busiest, Mia went to someone’s house after day care four days a week. On Tuesdays she had three different babysitters. I kept a mental list of who I asked for help last and moved them to the bottom, careful not to overuse them. I was never afraid to ask someone to watch my kid. </p><p><strong>3. Know about the hourly day cares</strong></p><p>A friend of mine is a musician, and sometimes has to play gigs late at night. She utilized a 24-hour drop-off day care often. It was especially helpful that she could deposit money into an account there, so whoever picked up or dropped off her son wouldn’t have to worry about paying. If her sitter got themselves in a jam while she was an hour out of town at a gig, they could drop her son off at a place he was familiar with. It was the ultimate backup.</p><p><strong>4. Organize</strong></p><p>I mean it. Write down names, numbers, and people’s schedules in several places. I made copies of a list and had it in my purse, my car, and my backpack. I included the drop-off centers and anyone (I mean anyone) who might be able to pick up and hang out with my kid in a jam. It came in handy at those times that I got caught up on my way to meet her at the bus stop or I needed her to go from one person to the next. I always told people they were on my list, and sometimes even notified them if they were my on-call backup person that week. People are usually happy to help, and if they’re not, don’t take it personally. A lot of times, it’s easier for other moms to have a playmate for their kids, so don’t ever be afraid to ask!</p><p><strong>5. Trade</strong></p><p>Barter. Always, always be aware that you are asking someone for a favor. Offer to take their kids for a while after they’ve had yours. Offer other stuff. I cleaned houses, picked weeds, wrote band bios, and cleaned a preschool. I brought home bottles of cheap wine or burritos. I told people to eat whatever they could find in the house and always offered five bucks to go do something. My friends and neighbors knew I couldn’t afford to pay them, and I was always upfront with that. But as long as I was willing to do what I could to help them and only asked them every once in a while, they were almost always happy to help.</p><p>I’ve also been fortunate that my kid is a bright, outgoing, resilient sort who can stand being shuffled around. If this isn’t the case in your situation, find another Solo Mom you can do trades with. My neighbor is a friend who has her son full-time and we trade the kids off and on constantly. It works well because I’m usually home working during the week and can pick up from the bus stop, and she likes to do active things outdoors that I can’t always do because of the baby. We’ve turned into each other’s most dependable backups. I wish the same for you. Good luck! </p><hr><p><span style="font-size: 11px;">Image via Shutterstock.com</span></p>