Celebrate 60 years of success during Head Start Awareness Month.
October is Head Start Awareness Month, and this year, Head Start is celebrating 60 years of building a more prosperous society for families to experience enduring success.
The Head Start program was conceived as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” in 1965. The initiative was originally designed to be an eight-week-long summer program that would provide early childhood education and health and social services to children from low-income families to equip them with the tools to succeed in school and break the cycle of poverty.
The program’s immediate and overwhelming success caused it to expand into a year-round initiative. Since its inception, Head Start has become a cornerstone of early childhood development in the United States, serving over 40 million children and their families.
Over the past year, the San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department has worked closely with families to provide children with the strongest possible start in life. Preschool Services has expanded its outreach to enroll more children ages 0 to 5 in high-quality preschools and connect families to vital holistic services, including meals, housing and healthcare.
Preschool Services also actively involves parents and guardians, recognizing them as their child’s first and most influential teachers, and provides them with resources to support their family’s well-being, including opportunities to be active partners in their child’s learning and build leadership skills. The programs, including Early Head Start programs for infants and toddlers, are designed to meet the specific needs of the local community by providing services ranging from comprehensive in-home services to support for families experiencing homelessness or raising a child with disabilities.
Preschool Services staff have received ongoing training to bring the very best practices into the classroom. These efforts help children grow, thrive and enter kindergarten ready for success, and support parents as the foundation of their child’s future. This comprehensive approach produces Head Start alumni with improved social and emotional development and a greater chance of graduating from high school and attending college. The success of the program in San Bernardino County and nationwide is a testament to its adaptability to best serve the unique needs of each community.
Head Start invests in the earliest years of a child’s life, preparing them for kindergarten and laying the foundation for a lifetime of success. As we celebrate Head Start Awareness Month, we honor the legacy of this program and its ongoing role in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive regardless of their socioeconomic background.
To enroll in San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department’s Head Start programs, visit psd.sbcounty.gov or call 888-KIDS-025 (888-543-7025).
