When I heard the stories from parents in Head Start, I could not help but think how rewarding it must be as a Head Start staff to hear what a difference you made in families' lives. How professionally and personally rewarding to know that you were responsible for some one's success in life.
Involvement in Head Start has allowed many parents to accomplish things that they did not think they were capable of doing. Head Start empowered them to put themselves on committees and Parent Councils. By taking these steps, many parents gained self-esteem and realized that they were worth more than they thought possible. Once their self-esteem was raised, many went to school and obtained degrees. I am always touched by the many stories I hear from teachers in my local Head Start centers. They are very similar to the stories on the website. They began as parents with no education, no money, and no hope. Now they have education, and a rewarding profession where they make a difference in families and children. By allowing so much parent involvement, Head Start is also creating that much needed bond between parent and child. Parents are the first and most influential teachers a child has and Head Start understands that children will develop to a higher level with the parents' involvement.
The value of hearings these stories is priceless. Unfortunately, I do not think enough of the public, policy makers and/or government officials hear these stories. I have been in the early childhood field for 26 years. I knew nothing about Head Start until 6 years ago when I started working for the state. I was almost ashamed that this very advanced, effective program existed and I knew nothing about it. What stands out most for me is that these stories are not just some parents they chose to put on a website. I can go into any Head Start center in my surrounding region and hear the same stories. That is when you know a program has truly reached its goals in parent involvement. However, I know that they want to do more and they have to work to ensure this goal is continued.
Parent involvement is absolutely necessary in all strands of service in the early childhood field. In the child care strand, parents think involvement means showing up for holiday parties or bringing any supplies needed. They do not think of themselves as partners in their child's development. Especially in private child care, parents feel like they are paying you to teach their child and they should not have to do anything. We must continue to advocate for a change in this mindset.
Jo, can i please implore you to add a picture to your blog and your walden site so I can at least visualize who I am in class with? Pick a cartoon character if you would like, but give me something! Thank you for your hard work this week. I learned so much about Head Start too. I do a fair amount of training for them so I am at least a bit familiar but it is great to have a much deeper understanding of the strands that regulate it. My. OH. My. The federal regulations have my head spinning. I have a feeling that every early childhood program will be mandated to document the dickens out of the fun of working with small children. Maybe it isn't such a bad thing to be entering the final leg of our professional journey. Have a good week!
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