Head Start Program for Pre-schooler

My son who is 5 and a kindergartener has a headstart classroom within the same school he attends. The only difference that I see in a headstart class and other preschool programs is that one is free and the other is not (headstart being free).
They teach those children in headstart the same things that they teach the kids in a regular private program where parents are paying $300 plus a month. The only thing is that to get enrolled in a headstart program you must first have certain risk factors (like a developmental delay or be low income). However, it depends on what type of funding the program gets because some headstart programs can take a certain number of kids who are not low income or don't have a developmental delay. My 4 year old son was accepted by two different schools and he does not have a delay nor are we low income(we are not what headstart considers low-income) . So we were very surprised to get in.
Don't be fooled that this is not a good program. Many parents try to get their kids in. If the program is located within the public school those children participate in many of the same field trips, school activities and gym classes as the kindergartners.

Headstart would have to directly adrress your sons delays whereas another preschool program may or may not. Headstart usually does not have any daycare attached to it. Headstart is basically a program for disadvantaged children to start kindergrten on a level playing field. Disadvantaged can mean low-income, disabled, developmentally delayed or at high risk for any of these. Where we are the headstart is actually a part of a local preschool and includes home visits.

I teach at head start, but quite a ways from where you are. We are a preschool that takes developmentally delayed children and lots of other children from low income families. I love working there, and every head start is just a little bit different. Head start usually has resources for certain helps for children. But as far as our area goes its a great program, and would highly recommend it to anybody. Maybe you could go to their office there and find out more specifics about their program and how it runs.

Here's a link to the government's Head Start website:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/

Bernie,

Go for it! You can also have your son evaluated by the local school district if he is beyond age 3. They may offer you speech therapy, or even a school based program with an IEP. It never hurts to have as many choices as possible. You do not have to choose the program the school offers, but getting into that system prior to kindergarten with elegibility will be advantagous for him.

Also persue private speech or OT if you do not think that the public programs are meeting all of his needs. Take full advantage of public programs, but never count on them to provide everything your child needs to meet his full potential. Public services are only required to make your child functional in the classroom so that he has a basic floor of opportunity to access general education. They are not required to maximize him, and you will want to do that. So suppliement his program with private services when ever you think he needs more. Some public programs provide more than the minimum, but never depend on them to either tell you what he needs, nor provide everything he could use to access his full potential.

M.

The classroom should be staffed with teachers/aides who took extra special ed classes, and have training working with kids who have special needs. There may also be therapists in the classroom at times. My son is in a similar program, and he gets his therapy at school during class time.