May 15—- When United Community Action Partnership recently gathered its Willmar Head Start students and families for a springtime event at Robbins Island, they also celebrated the childhood education program’s 60th birthday coming up on May 18.
“We do a lot of things (in Head Start). Our cornerstones are really in family engagement, health and nutrition that we provide. … we care for children so that families can work. Close to 80% of our families are working families, and without us they wouldn’t be able to do that,” United Community Action Partnership Head Start director Mary Lockhart-Findling told the West Central Tribune during the family event.
The
describes the program as “centered around early learning and development, health and family well-being.” Services are available at no cost for infants and children up to 5 years old in eligible families.
Locally, United Community Action Partnership operates
in locations across nine southwest Minnesota counties — including Kandiyohi, Meeker, Redwood and Renville — serving around 600 children in total. UCAP’s largest program is Bright Light Head Start in Willmar.
The Bright Light Head Start family event at Robbins Island featured activities including a scavenger hunt, a snack and a chance to learn about water safety from Kandiyohi County sheriff’s officers.
“This is a time for all families to come together with their children so they can meet with each other, play with each other and get to know each other,” United Community Action Partnership family service worker Pat Olson said.
The 60-year anniversary has coincided with concerns about the future of the program after reports in April that the White House was considering asking Congress to eliminate funding.
At the Willmar event conducted April 30, Lockhart-Findling called for people to contact their elected representatives regarding the proposal.
The official
released since then does not mention the Head Start program. Nevertheless, the
for program supporters to contact the president and members of Congress, calling the elimination of funding “catastrophic.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Head Start began as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” The program was announced in the Rose Garden on May 18, 1965.
Originally, the program was an eight-week project. Since its founding, the program has served more than 38 million children, having grown from the original eight-week demonstration program to one which operates year-round.
According to Lockhart-Findling, local Head Start offerings include dental clinics, help with obtaining physicals and immunizations, kindergarten prep and health and nutrition education.
Alongside the services offered for children, early childhood programs for parents are provided to help educate family members.
“We do a lot of training with our parents that want to and are interested in early childhood (care). We have a (Child Development Associate) program that helps them get qualified to do that,” Lockhart-Findling said. “Our goal is to help the kids, and at the same time, work with families to help them get out of poverty.”