Education Department

Early Childhood Development Programs

(Head Start, Early Head Start and CCDF Programs)

VISION

Parents are the first and most important influence on a child's development.  It is our goal is to provide quality, comprehensive early childhood education and child care programs in a "one-stop" model, birth to five (5) years of age.

GOALS

Parents are the first and most important influence on a child's development.  ECDP is a program to assist families and their children during the first years of the child's life, birth to five years of age.  The primary goals for ECDP are:

• Meet and exceed the Head Start Performance Standards and provide quality early childhood education to children and their parents.

• Develop tracking procedures and program philosophy to meet 85% monthly attendance requirement;

• Engage in collaborative partnership-building as advocates with parents to establish trust, identify family goals, strengths, and assist with the family as identified and needed;

• Provide comprehensive services to pregnant mothers-to-be and implementation of the home-base option for parents and children;

• Develop an Operating Procedures Manual to guide each division, e.g., Education, Health & Safety, Family Services, Early Intervention and Administration to ensure holistic service delivery approaches for our families.

• Review yearly, maintain and update Division Plans.

• Identify and refer to CCDF when child care needs are identified from the Family Partnership Assessment;

• Provide financial assistance to support families for quality child care.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

According to the Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion's report, Creating a 21st Century Head Start: "The challenges faced by local Head Start programs have multiplied in size, scope and complexity in recent years.  Health and Human Services (Head Start Bureau) and local grantees must ensure that the managers of local Head Start programs have what they need to lead programs effectively in changing world:  knowledge, skills, commitment not only to children and families but to the complex task of management and leadership, and the support and infrastructure they need to manage effectively."  "In an effort to provide full-time  care to children in Head Start (which has traditionally been part-day, part-year), states and communities are fostering new partnerships between child care and Head Start programs."  The Nez Perce Tribe has adopted and implemented this philosophy.

Education Division:  Develop early learning plans that includes the concept of birth to five (5) years of age for social, emotional, physical and intellectual (cognitive) development.  Critical from the 1998 Head Start legislative, all programs must implement requirements related to the assessment of children's progress toward specific learning outcomes.  The National Reporting System (NRS) was implemented in the 2003 school year.

Health & Safety Division:  Assist parents to ensure each child is current on the schedule of age appropriate preventive and primary health care; encourage parents to become active partners in their child's medical and dental health care; provide opportunities for parent involvement in medical, dental and nutrition education.

Family Service Division:  Encourage parent partnerships in education, health/nutrition, program planning and operating activities; assist families to assess their own needs and facilitate services and/or intervention to build upon individual strengths.  Primary contact for referrals from Teachers, and as Advocates for families.

Early Intervention:  Oversee the developmental screening process, initiate appropriate referrals to outside agencies, perform classroom observation and collaborate to provide needed services to children and families with special needs.

Administration Division:  Ensure compliance with Performance Standards, Nez Perce Tribe Human Resources Manual and Finance Manual.  Prepare grant applications, monitor expenditures, collaborate with outside agencies, ensure best practices for early childhood education and child care.

Child Care Development Fund (CCDP):  CCDF is a block-grant program administered and used to fund child care subsidies for children under age 13 as well as for quality-building, systems-building, resource and referral activities.  In the wake of welfare reform, federal and state governments have encouraged collaboration between Head Start program (which have traditionally operated separately) to ensure that parents have access to full-day, full-year programs.  This program provides child care subsidy for parent(s) who meet income guidelines and are in training, attending academic or vocational college.  Payments are based on a sliding fee scale.  For the TANF clients, 100% is paid from the program.  The program does not fund long-term foster payments.

State of Idaho TANF Head Start:  Provide Head Start services for children three (3) and four (4) years old from families who receive TANF and/or low income.

STAFF

Administration:  Consuelo Guillory, MPA; Wendy Thomas, MSW Senior Program Specialist, Manager; Grace Porter, AA, Data Technician; Verna Taylor, Administrative Assistant. 

Education:  Patricia White Temple, BS, Education/Child Development Director;  Nicole (Tia) Hernandez, BAS, and Nancy Wheeler, Early Learning Mentor Coaches; Roxanne Wilson, AA, Head Start ELMC; Crissy Garcia, AA, Early Head Start ELMC; Jenny Oatman, Kamiah Site Supervisor.

Family Services:  Jackie McArthur, BA, Stacey Kash Kash, BA, Veda Pfefferkorn, Bridgette Greene, Vanessa Henry, RN, Education Trainer..

Health & Safety:  Crystal Rabago.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Lapwai             208-843-7330 PHONE                       208-843-7383 FAX

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