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WHAT IS HEAD START?
 Head Start is a comprehensive service organization providing preschool to low-income children and their families. Since 1965 the program has assisted families in the areas if health, education, social services, and parent involvement. The program is a federal program and is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services. Our local Head Start programs have a Regional Office located in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago office serves six states: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. A Regional Officer is assigned to each program and is the communication link. Once every three years a Federal Review Team conducts on-site visits to every program in the nation. The federal government awards a grant and the local match of 25% is expected to come from volunteer hours in the classroom and community exchange of goods and services.
WHO IS KIRPC HEAD START?
In 1997, the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (K-IRPC) was awarded a grant to provide services to 108 children and their families in Jasper, Newton, and Pulaski counties in northwest Indiana. Since that time the agency has participated in expansion opportunities with the state and currently is awarded a grant with the Department of Health and Human Services to serve 148 children and their families.
In addition, another 45 preschool children are served in Pulaski County through the Pulaski Alliance for Community Education (PACE) program sponsored by the Lilly Foundation. Children attend classrooms in four different locations. Thus, Head Start and PACE children interact in the same classrooms creating a true picture of public school. The total number of children and families served is 193. K-IRPC, as an agency is also involved in Economic Development and Rural Transportation. The K-IRPC Head Start Director reports directly to the Governing Board and parents and community representatives make up a Policy Council. These two boards serve as the governing bodies to Head Start.
The counties served are rural with the largest community having a population of 5,000 and the greatest distance between classrooms is approximately 90 miles. The managers and/or director visit the sites on a regular basis and communicate and problem solve via phone, fax, and e-mail.
Our transportation is contracted and services are paid through the grant.
Our last Federal Review was conducted March 2005.
WHERE ARE OUR LOCAL HEAD START CLASSROOMS?
There are ten classrooms and seven Head Start sites within the K-IRPC system serving Newton, Jasper, and Pulaski Counties. The sites are as follows:
Newton County: Roselawn, Generations Building, 2 classroom
Goodland, Town Hall Building, 1 classroom
Jasper County: Rensselaer, Community Services Building, 1 classroom
DeMotte, Robert S. Fase Building, 2 classrooms
Pulaski County: Winamac, Pulaski Human Services Building, 2 classrooms
CLASSROOM STATISTICS
Each classroom has a teacher and an assistant teacher. Four of our locations have nutrition aids that serve breakfast and lunch to the children as well as assist with grocery shopping. The children receive 2/3 of their nutritional needs per day from their classroom menus. Three floats or traveling teacher assistants are also on staff. An attempt is made to have one float for each county to share the classroom responsibility or cover for illness and vacation for other staff.
In addition parents are encouraged to participate as volunteers in the classroom.
There is transportation available to each location and it is presently being contracted with the three community service agencies in the counties.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY FOR A HEAD START CHILD?
 The white bus picks up the first Head Start child by 7:30 a.m. and school begins at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast is served. Developmentally appropriate practices are followed through the use of preschool curriculum called CREATIVE CURRICULUM which outlines fifty objectives to prepare the child to enter kindergarten.
Following a busy morning of inside and outside activities, the children are served lunch, rest for a thirty minute period, engage in literacy activities, and are fed a snack before they are released at 2:00 p.m. to be taken home. Monday through Thursday the child has as set routine of going to school.
The Performance Standards outlining best practices for children and their families are followed in all the classrooms.
Transitioning to kindergarten is made easy through the Head Start process.
HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY HELP?
The best way for the community to help is to volunteer in the classrooms of your local Head Start program. Why?
- Taking time to be a “guest reader” demonstrates that literacy is important to adults and encourages the desire of the child to read.
- Volunteering to assist in the classroom demonstrates that the community cares about low income children.
- Volunteering is a win-win situation. The child receives encouragement and you receive satisfaction for having made a positive difference in your community.
HOW DO I CONTACT MY LOCAL HEAD START PROGRAM?
Rensselaer
967 E. Leopold St.
Rensselaer, IN 47978
219-866-8007 (phone)
219-866-8007 ( fax)
North Jasper
11978 N. 600 W.
DeMotte, IN 46310
219-987-7075 (phone)
219-987-7075 (fax)
Goodland
110 N. Benton St.
PO Box 250
Goodland, IN 47948
219-297-3888 (phone)
219-297-3555 (fax)
Roselawn
10448 N. 450 E.
DeMotte, IN 46310
219-345-2011 (phone)
219-345-2011 (fax)
Winamac
115 W. Pearl St.
PO Box 144
Winamac, IN 46996
574-946-4211 (phone)
574-946-3793 (fax)
Grantee
115 E. Fourth St.
PO Box 127
Monon, IN 47959
888-300-0795 (phone)
219-253-6659 (fax)
Be a leader in your community:
“LEADERS ARE BRIDGES THAT CONNECT PEOPLE TO THE FUTURE.”
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