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Educational Head Start
-by Joy A. Fitzpatrick
Need childcare while you attend classes? Want your child to get a Head Start on their education? Head Start, located conveniently next to the Copper Mountain College (CMC) campus, is a free nationwide federally funded program for children and their families whose income meets pre-set guidelines.
Site Supervisor Sharon Erdmann states, �In today�s society children need a head start on their education. They say that kindergarten teachers can always tell who�s gone to preschool.�
Performance standards for all Head Starts are nationwide and each teacher must have 24 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Units and have a California Teaching Credential for ECE, which requires ongoing training and renewal every five years.
Head Start rents the building from CMC, and some of CMC�s students in the nursing program have provided health presentations. Students taking ECE classes have also come to observe the program.
The classrooms are roomy, bright and flowing with colorful hands-on materials. There are morning and afternoon classes and meals are provided. There is a teacher and an aid per class with a ratio of one adult to every eight children.
Along with the group activities, each child has a Child Individual Plan (CIP).The teachers will observe the child, and then meet with the parents and together they develop a goal plan. Examples may be, to be able to write their name, tie their shoes or work on socialization and sharing.
The children receive free physicals, hearing and vision checks and Loma Linda Dental comes to check the children�s teeth and apply dental sealants. Morongo Unified School District provides speech therapy if needed.
The center also has a generalist that assists families in other areas: help finding housing and furniture, contacting utility companies to help families get on programs that lower the costs, and/or other needed programs.
There are many involvement opportunities for parents. There are regular parent meetings; they can volunteer at the center; there are parent workshops available on a variety of topics; they may attend monthly meetings at the San Bernardino County Main Office and they can sit in on interviews for hiring teachers, ECT.
Laidlaw busing provides free transportation for children located in Joshua Tree. The center is located at 6334 Rotary Way, Joshua Tree, California 92252 and is open M � F 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Erdmann can be reached at (760) 366-9762. The program is for children ages 3 to 5 years. It is bilingual and they also welcome children with disabilities.
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