Getting Ahead with Head Start

On Howard Street in Ansonia, CT is the local head start center for the surrounding towns. The name says all it is supposed to be for our children, a way to help them get ahead, to be ready for school, to learn some basic skills. Children are accepted into this program mainly on an income based need, meaning that you need to make under a certain amount of income for your child to attend.

I have heard great things from a lot of parents about this particular program. One woman told me that her son's speech improved greatly after attending the first few months. Other parents have told me that their children's behavior became noticeable calmer. They offer a peer program, which brings together the children who need a little more help in behavioral areas with children who are already exhibiting desirable behavior. If you have a child who needs that routine and balance in their life, this can be a great program.

On the flip side, if your child is advanced, there is nothing in place to challenge them. From personal experience, I watched my child go from a polite, friendly, sharing child, to one who talked back, started telling me "NO", and became greedy. He began to pick up the behaviors of the other children in the class and that made life very difficult for me at home. I also experienced a problem with the teachers. They were all very nice, but I did not feel that my son was getting enough attention or acknowledgment. An example of this is in my first parent teacher conference. He at been attending school for over two months at this point, and the teachers and I sat down together to go over what I would like him to work on. One of the things on the teacher's list was for him to work on his alphabet. My son had been writing his entire alphabet, both capital and lowercase letters for over a year. How after two months did the teachers not realize he already knew how to write?

After six months of head start, I removed my son from the school. We had tried part time and full time, two different classrooms, and each time the results were the same. After two weeks of being back home, he has once again become a sweet friendly little man. Before signing your child up for any program, please take the time to fully investigate it. Be sure it is offering services that will be beneficial to your child. The head start program in Ansonia Ct is a great solution if your child is lacking in behavioral, speech or social skills. If you are looking to advance your child's academic skills, then perhaps you should look for another elswhere.