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WOONSOCKET HEAD START HAS ACTIVE RECRUITMENT FOR THE SEPTEMBER - JUNE SCHOOL YEAR,
BUT ACCEPTS APPLICATIONS YEAR-ROUND!
Please send the application in the mail or drop it off at the nearest center location.
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Head Start is a national, federally funded program which provides comprehensive early childhood education and family support services to eligible preschool children.
Head Start helps to prepare children for success in school and in life. Children receive a positive introduction to education, learn how to interact with others, learn self-help skills and healthy habits. Head Start builds confidence in children and their parents.
Our Head Start program is a part-day preschool program for children 3 to 5 years old. Children come to Head Start Monday through Friday from 9:00am - 1:00pm, September to June. Head Start is free to eligible families. You must live in Woonsocket and must meet the Head Start family income guidelines to be eligible for Head Start.
Head Start is not just for children. Head Start is for families as well. Families become involved in their children's education, help support their children's learning, discover their own strengths, and continue to develop to their fullest potential.
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For Head Start center locations, click here.
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EDUCATION
Our educational program is designed specifically for pre-kindergarten aged children. We follow the best practices in the field of early childhood education because your child deserves nothing less than the best.
Research tells us that young children learn best by doing. True learning is not just an ability to repeat the words of someone else, but requires active thinking, engaging and experimenting to find out just how things work, and learning first-hand about the world around us. At WHSCDA, Inc., we create that environment for your child to stimulate his or her curiosity and learning. By environment, we mean materials and activities as well as the interactions with others. All of this happens in the context of play, because play provides the foundation for children's academic or school learning. It is through play that children will achieve their educational goals. Play is the work of young children.
Our goal is to help children become independent, self confident, inquisitive learners. We encourage them to be active and creative explorers of their environment who are not afraid to try out their ideas and to think their own thoughts. We allow them to learn at their own pace and in ways that are best for them. We help them develop good habits and attitudes, particularly a positive sense of self, which is so important for success in school and in life.
Our curriculum, The Creative Curriculum®, is aligned with the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards. These Standards, issued by the Rhode Island Department of Education, are the goals and expectations of what pre-kindergarten children should know and be able to do.
In our classrooms, you will see children playing, and through their play, they are learning important skills and subjects. We focus children's learning in the following 8 areas or domains:
1. Language Development - listening and understanding, speaking and communicating. This
includes use of increased vocabulary to communicate orally, use of appropriate patterns of
language, use of age-appropriate language, and verbalization of needs and feelings
2. Literacy-phonological awareness (the ability to distinguish units of speech such as a word's
syllables), book knowledge and appreciation, print awareness and concepts, early writing, and
alphabet knowledge
3. Mathematics - numbers and operations, geometry and spatial sense, patterns and
measurements
4. Science - scientific skills and methods, and scientific knowledge
5. Creative Arts - music, art, movement, and dramatic play
6. Social and Emotional Development - self-concept, self-control, cooperation, social
relationships, and knowledge of families and communities
7. Approaches to Learning - initiative and curiosity, engagement and persistence, and reasoning
and problem solving
8. Physical Health and Development - fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and health status
and practices
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NUTRITION
Children receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch daily. Mealtime is a great time for learning, exploring, and socializing. All meals are home-cooked on site, are nutritionally balanced, and meet USDA guidelines for young children. Children's' favorites include homemade corn muffins, minestrone soup, vegetable lasagna, and "breakfast for lunch"- scrambled eggs and hash browns. For a sample of our monthly menu, click here.
We cannot allow food from home because many children suffer from food allergies. Our menus take into account all documented food allergies and special diets. If a child cannot have a certain food being served, due to allergies or religious or personal beliefs, that child is given a substitute.
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POSITIVE BEHAVIOR GUIDANCE
One of the most important goals we share with families is helping children develop appropriate social behavior. Learning to be respectful (kind), responsible (doing the right thing), and resourceful (problem solving) takes time. It is a process. Children must learn how to share, listen, follow directions and be polite. They can only learn these things if caring adults in their life teach them.
These are specific strategies used at WHSCDA to teach children self-discipline:
1. We have identified specific behavioral expectation for all daily routines. These expectations
are taught to children.
2. Rules are stated positively and staff model appropriate behavior.
3. Children are acknowledged for demonstrating acceptable behavior.
4. We acknowledge and respect children’s feelings and do not allow them to take their
frustrations out on others.
5. We encourage children to use their words to solve problems.
6. We involve children in establishing basic classroom rules.
7. We plan a welcoming, organized, stimulating environment that encourages children to make
choices and work independently.
8. We plan a well-balanced schedule which offers children active and quiet activities.
9. We establish consistent routines and set clear limits.
10. We establish strong, nurturing relationships with each child.
11. We match our expectations with children’s developing abilities and capabilities.
12. We develop strong partnerships with families and work as a team to support children's
development.
Visit the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning for more information.
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