Martha Thompson, LPN, Manager
Phone: 521-4473 Ext 122
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Head Start®'s commitment to wellness embraces a comprehensive vision of health for children, families, and staff. The objective of Child Health and Development Services is to ensure that, through collaboration among families, staff, and health professionals, all child health and developmental concerns are identified, and children and families are linked to an ongoing source of continuous, accessible care to meet their basic health needs.

The objective of Education and Early Childhood Development is to provide all children with a safe, nurturing, engaging, enjoyable, and secure learning environment, in order to help them gain the awareness, skills, and confidence necessary to succeed in their present environment, and to deal with later responsibilities in school and in life. Each child is treated as an individual in an inclusive community that values, respects, and responds to diversity. The varied experiences provided by the program support the continuum of children's growth and development, which includes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of each child.

Health Needs

Health data from 2007-08, shown in the charts below, indicate the wide disparity of needs between the children served in the five centers. Dental is the greatest need overall with 40 percent or more of children in three of the centers requiring those services while 20 percent or more of children in three centers require health services.

Health Services Advisory Committee

The Health Services Advisory Committee provides assistance to Head Start® in the following areas:

1. Finding sources of health care and developing child health care guidelines
2. Selection and use of development screening tools
3. Identification of medical and dental sources
4. Involvement in children's health care and parental authorization for services
5. Development of health emergency procedures, and contents and location of first aid kits
6. Identification of conditions for short-term exclusion and admittance
7. Development of procedures for the administration, handling, storage of medication, and parental authorization
8. Identification of community nutritional issues and the planning of nutritional services
9. Recommendations regarding the proper use, handling, and storage of toothbrushes
10. Identification of community mental health resources
11. Exploring linkages to services for pregnant women
12. Development of health, nutrition, and mental health education programs for staff and parents
13. Increasing parental participation on the Health Services Advisory Committee
14. Identifying and working with community partners in health and nutritional services
15. Assist in program planning and implementation
16. Assist with regard to staff and volunteer health policies

Head Start Health® and Safety Regulations

Health Services Advisory Committee Bylaws

Child Nutrition