How Effective is Head Start down the Road?

How Effective is Head Start down the Road?

What is my definition of high-risk children? High-risk children to me means children that aren’t of age and able to take care of themselves. These children may be abused or neglected. They may live in low-income areas and are enrolled in the social service system. These children may have parents that are young, addicted to drugs/alcohol, uneducated, struggling to find a job, not working, in school, etc.

Why do we need to call them children at risk? I say children of hope, at risk children sounds like a death sentence like they are pre-determined to fail. These children may be from broken homes and poverty stricken, but this doesn’t mean they can’t overcome this obstacle. This is where Head Start comes in by getting involved with the families. The program encourages parents to be involved with their child’s education. When a parent shows that they care it helps the child appreciate school and they want to learn. The Program also has training the parents are able to attend.

Our center has a nurturing parent program that is every Wednesday of each month. The nurturing parent program consist of a series of classes that help parents with nurturing, proper discipline, helping children express themselves appropriately, having a routine, calming yourself, encouraging children and yourself, getting involved etc. Childcare is provided we watch children from the ages of 6 months up to 10. The children also have their own sessions with emotions, getting along with peers, homework buddies, etc. Head Start cares about our children and their whole family.

Children do sometimes perform poorly based on outside influence. The young man that was a total terror in my class last year whom had gotten himself together toward the end of the school year and summer is recently terrorizing his new class and teacher. Justis has a very hard time with transitioning and change in general. His new class which is the five year old class isn’t as uniformed and structured as the three to four year old classroom. His new teacher feels that they are old enough to regulate themselves as far as self-control. The girls are doing well with this, but the boys are having a very difficult time getting themselves together. Justis is not handling the change and other behavior problems well; this is making him a little more active than usual. He is starting to act out more than normal just to seek attention. We also recently discovered that his father has not been in his life. His mother has recently started working again; they’ve had to move out of their apartment and are recently searching for a new place to stay. They are currently stayed at different family members’ homes, due to the fact that Justis is so rambunctious they aren’t able to stay at any family members home for an extended period of time.

Justis received a referral last year for behavior and speech. He currently has a counsel for behavior through a program Head Start has contacted called “Up Side To Youth.” The program helps the children by being in the class and assisting the teacher. His counselor may take him out of the room do social development activity with him to help him calm down and get back on track. Head Start has asked that I work with the teacher because I know what triggers Justis at time. So Justis is allowed to come into my classroom for an hour each day to do activities to help him clam himself and regain focus. We’ve encouraged mom to get more involved instead of throwing up her hands and giving up. She has to realize his is a child he can gain control on his own or at all, she has to help or he will get lost is the system once he leaves our program. The next place may not be as involved, care, concerned or want to put up with him.

I have sat down with mom and given her center techniques to use with Justis that work in the classroom. I have asked to write down what a normal schedule outside of school looks like for Justis. We realized the one he needs a stable environment outside of school, boundaries, rules and a lot more structured activities as well as less T.V. time. In reviewing all of these factors Justis life is very chaotic for a four year old. He has several stress factors and environmental hazards that are contributing to his behavior issues. Mom is very stressed as well because of her current health issues, home environment and Justis having difficulty at school and were ever they stay and the moment.

 All of these things I noted make Justis a high-risk child. I hope and pray that all of the counseling, social groups and conferences help Justis and his level of risk is lowered. I know as of know it can only go, but so low due to his outside environment being so unstable right now. We will all try our best to work together to help Justis and his mom become stable in all of his environments. His so young and going through so much. He has to release all that built up frustration somewhere, but we will help him release it in a helpful, positive and fun way.

 One of the most important things in aiding the development of high-risk children is early intervention. High-risk children can be defined as those who are exposed to "reproductive stress, discordant and impoverished home lives, and uneducated, alcoholic, or mentally disturbed parents" (Werner, 1989). Through examination of children's failures and successes, many different perspectives can strive to make early intervention programs more effective in catering to the needs of high-risk children (Wener, 1989).

 Important research by Zigler and Styfco looks into the program Head Start, which is designed as an early intervention for children who are at risk of performing poorly in school. Head Start's most realistic objective is readiness for elementary school. The tension between this approach and others is that initial school performance doesn't necessarily relate to children's later success (Werner, 1989).

Emmy Werner also focuses on how protective factors present in the child's own environment can be strengthened to provide children with the skills they need to succeed. A protective factor is anything that can reduce or prevent the development of some type of disorder.  Werner claims, "As long as the balance between stressful life events and protective factors is favorable, successful adaptation is possible". Resilience continues through life, and her research documents the ways in which the presence of early protective factors impacts children in their adult lives (Werner, 1989).

A common factor in both arguments is the need for stability in the lives of high-risk children. According to Werner, "the resilient children in our study had at least one person in their lives who accepted them unconditionally, regardless of temperamental idiosyncrasies or physical or mental handicaps". She attributes resilient children's success to the encouragement provided by adults in the areas of independence, communication, and reinforcement of positive behavior (Wener, 1989).

Zigler and Styfco also realize that children who have good relationships with their caregivers and have received adequate nurturing and stimulation will have the social emotional skills needed for learning. They advocate maintaining stability through a transition project that helps children "get a solid footing in the long process of formal education" as they go into elementary school (Zigler, 1994). What is the solution to this difference? Research should investigate whether it is necessary to provide outside-of-home programs instead of providing parents with the skills to help children within the home environment. Because funding difficulties and lack of quality staff and services in Head Start have caused the effectiveness of their programs to suffer, it might be best to funnel money into existing structures and support systems.

All in all children need to be nurtured and cared for, they aren’t able to handle things on their own that’s why we have to be there to guide them as well as their families. Sometimes we as adults need guidance as well. This is why we put the nurturing parent program in place to help parents work on creating structure, a schedule, stability, and more in their lives as well as their young ones lives. I feel it is very necessary to provide outside-of-home programs and well as in-home programs to help parents develop skills that they weren’t taught or haven’t developed. Like my grandmother always said “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Works Cited:

Werner, E. E. (1989, April), children of the garden island, Scientific American, April, pp. 76-81.

Zigler, E. & Styfco, S.J. (1994). head star: criticism in a constructive context. American Psychologist, 49 (2).