Tag Archives: preschool

Head Start Funding Opportunities

Head Start funding opportunities

In our Funding & Grants series of articles, we provide information for educators looking for special funding to help them purchase multilingual resources to support language learners. In a previous post, we focused on Title III grants. Here, we take a look at Head Start funding.

Head Start Program – Background Info

The Office of Head Start (OHS) is an organization within the US Department of Health and Human Services. It’s government-run, and has its roots in the 1960s. Head Start was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing low-income families with a comprehensive preschool program – one that meets the emotional, social, health, nutritional and psychological needs of children. Head Starts helps over a million children and their families in the US each year.

Head Start consists of a preschool program for 3 and 4 year olds, and an Early Head Start program, which offers services for pregnant women, infants and toddlers.

“Head Start comprehensive services include:

  • Early Learning
  • Screenings and follow-up for health, development, and behavior
  • Health and safety
  • Social and emotional development
  • Nutrition
  • Family goal-setting
  • Social services
  • Transition services
  • Services for children with disabilities”

Funding Resources

Head Start grants are awarded directly to public or private non-profit organizations. Eligible community organizations can be community-based, faith-based, or for-profit agencies.

OHS offers a comprehensive toolkit to help community organizations apply for Head Start funding. There are multiple steps that must be completed during the registration process, before submitting an application. The toolkit has directions on finding grant opportunities online, and helps you track your application after it’s been submitted.

 

“Head Start” by Fort Carson via Flickr is licensed under CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/bC9WKG

Support Early Childhood Literacy in International Preschool Classroom

We’d like to share with you a great opportunity to support early childhood literacy and language development to children in need with bilingual books and educational supplies!

Our friends at Give and Surf Inc. are starting a preschool for ages 3-5 in Bocas del Toro, Panama.  The preschool will be educating children from the indigenous Ngobe villages of this underserved area. Their preschool will be the first of its kind in the area.

We all know the importance of early reading for children, and Give and Surf is currently collecting books and any supplies necessary to start the preschool.  They have an empty classroom and an open canvas to build the ideal preschool!  The children of Bahia Honda have had limited exposure to books and would benefit greatly from any support. Continue reading Support Early Childhood Literacy in International Preschool Classroom