October is Head Start Awareness Month

Mark your calendars, October is Head Start Awareness Month. It is a time when people from all over the country celebrate the glorious program. Head Start Awareness Month was designed to bring together parents, teachers, students, and other community members. Head Start has had a tremendous impact on millions of people. Head Start Awareness Month is not only a time to show appreciation for the program and the many people involved with it. It is also a time to increase awareness of Head Start and the many services the program has to offer.

Head Start was created in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. At his request, a group of experts drew up the idea of what became known as Project Head Start. It began as an eight week summer program for young children of low-income families. The main goal of the program was to meet the emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs of the children. Over the years, the program has had some changes. It is now a year-long program that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low income families.

Since the program began, more than twenty-five million children aged three through five have participated in Head Start. This year alone there are nearly one million children participating in the program. In all, there are more than sixteen-hundred different Head Start programs across the country. These programs are responsible for running more than 48,000 classrooms in every state and practically every county in the country. The actual number of paid staff is about 212,000. However, the number of volunteers tops the one-million mark.

Head Start Awareness Month was initiated by the National Head Start Association (NHSA). After talking with the many Head Start programs across the country, the NHSA realized something startling: despite the wide popularity and visibility of the Head Start program, many people were still unaware of its existence. Therefore, the NHSA decided to implement Head Start Awareness Month. One of the goals of Head Start Awareness Month is to increase awareness of Head Start and the many services the program has to offer. Afterall, how can people benefit from the program if they don't know it exists? Another goal of Head Start Awareness Month is to celebrate the program itself. Head Start has helped millions of young children and their families. The program has had a huge impact on many children, families, and our country as whole. Now that's something to celebrate! Yet another goal of Head Start Awareness Month is to is to celebrate and appreciated the many teachers, administrators, and volunteers who keep the program running. Without them, the success of Head Start wouldn't be possible. And finally, Head Start Awareness Month was designed to celebrate and honor the children and families who take part in the program. The decision of the parents to enroll their children in Head Start has a positive impact on them for years to come. Without the children, there would be no program.

During Head Start Awareness Month, there is a lot going on. To find out what's going on in your community, contact your local Head Start. To find out more about Head Start, Head Start Awareness Month, or to locate your local Head Start program visit the NHSA's website at http://www.nhsa.org/.

Sources

NHSA

Wikipedia