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Head Start Stories
The Power of Head Start story: By DavidStory submitted by: David
Head Start Mental Health/Social Worker
Sacramento City Unified School District
Thirty-five years ago, I was inspired to influence the education system and help parents because of my great experience with my own daughter’s Head Start teacher. I received my Master’s in Counseling and became a Mental Health consultant. Since then, I’ve worked with Head Start parents for almost 25 years. I have seen parents move out of their comfort zones by participating and leading in Policy Council, -
Head Start Stories
The Power of Head Start Story: By AmparoStory submitted by: Amparo
Migrant Seasonal Head Start in Community Action
Partnership, San Luis Obispo, CA
I have been with Migrant Seasonal Head Start through Community Action Partnership San Luis Obispo for 19 years. I immigrated here from Mexico in 1989 with my four daughters and two sons. I started working at home babysitting six kids. I worked very hard for almost 10 years and in 1997, I decided to attend adult school to learn English. -
Head Start Stories
The Power of Head Start Story: By JacquelynStory submitted by:
Jacquelyn, Head Start parent and Assistant Director at
San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department
My Head Start story began in 1973. I was 4 years old and enrolled in the Ramona Gardens Head Start Child Care Center in Los Angeles. At the time, my mom, dad and sister lived in the Ramona Gardens Project Housing Development. We were very poor and received financial assistance. I still remember my teacher, Ms. -
Head Start Stories
The Power of Head Start Story: By NinaStory submitted by:
Nina, Head Start parent
E-Center Head Start in Yuba City, CA
Head Start has made it possible for my grandchildren to succeed. My husband and I were granted permanent guardianship of our grandchildren Gracie and Preston, (then 18 months and 7 months, respectively). Both were developmentally delayed and emotionally unstable. Gracie didn’t talk, cried often, and Preston didn’t do much except lay there. My husband and I were both working full time, -
Head Start Stories
The Power of Head Start Story: By Myra AcostaStory submitted by:
Myra Acosta
ECE Director, Palm Springs Unified School District, Early Childhood Education Program
I am a single mother of two wonderful children: Jasmin, 18 and Daniel, 16. When my son Daniel was born, he did not pass his newborn hearing screening, so we began seeing a specialist. Daniel was diagnosed with cognitive delays and moderate to severe Autism at 3 years old. As a mother, I was devastated and sought refuge in my faith. -
Event News
Virtual Health Institute 2020 RecapIf you attended or sent your program’s health staff to the Virtual Health Institute, we want to say THANK YOU! Nearly 600 health staff and leaders from more than 10 states attended the virtual event on Sept. 14-16.
The virtual conference commenced on Sept. 14 with an opening keynote from Dr. Bruce Perry, founder of The Neurosequential Model Network, on the topic of childhood trauma. One attendee commented, “I really appreciated a simplified explanation of how trauma affects the brain, -
Head Start California Updates
It’s National Head Start Awareness Month! Engage in the StoryThere are 100,000 Head Start stories in California – and one of them is yours. These stories are compelling because they have three elements with universal appeal.
First, they are about children, who have a natural innocence and beauty that tugs at every heartstring.
Second, our stories have a powerful ethical message. We present our communities with situations that ought not to be— like children and families unable to make ends meets. Finally, your stories reveal the compelling contribution of Head Start. -
Event News
How accurately are you tracking your services?With ever-changing conditions impacting your programs, it is important to stay up to speed with “all things data”. OHS has continued funding your programs so that you can serve your families and their children in any way possible. Accompanying this funding commitment is an expectation to count those services, both traditional and newly virtual, so that they can quantify the federal investment. Many programs have not implemented successful ways to do this, as most of us are just trying to figure everything out!
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Head Start California Updates
New State Blueprint and GuidanceGovernor Newsom released a new Blueprint for a Safer Economy noting that “COVID-19 will be with us for a long time and that we all need to adapt and live differently to get through this”. The Blueprint provides a uniform framework of four Tiers based on how prevalent COVID-19 is in each county and will be used to guide progression of opening businesses and activities. In accompanying documents posted by California Department of Public Health,
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Head Start California Updates
New Census TimelineCensus data collection & self-response close on Sept. 30
On Aug. 3, 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it would not be moving forward with its COVID adjusted timeline and instead would continue with an accelerated timeline to deliver apportionment counts to the President by Dec. 31, 2020.
This means that the U.S. Census Bureau will end field data collection by Sept. 30, 2020. Self-response options will also close on that date to permit the commencement of data processing.
