Bedford/Fulton County Head Start

Program Overview

Bedford/Fulton Head Start Center Locations and Enrollment at that Location

 Bedford/Fulton Head Start Enrollment by County and Option

Funded Enrollment – 173          

Bedford County Early Head Start Center Locations

Funded Enrollment – 75

Collaborations & Partnerships

United Way of Bedford County

The United Way fund our literacy program.  Approximately 270 HS & EHS enrolled children receive books

Northern Bedford School District

Northern Bedford County School District became an established partner in 2008-09, when Head Start Preschool services for eligible three and four year olds were offered within the elementary school.  Head Start families were able to receive the services offered by the district, while benefiting from the comprehensive services provided by Head Start.

Intermediate Unit 08

IU8 and Head Start work together to make joint decisions and coordination.  The partnership promotes education and awareness, benefiting preschool children and their families by facilitating a smooth and effective glow of services from providers.  Our collaborations facilitate the inclusion of children with disabilities and typical developing peers so that typically all children may experience the enrichment that comes from sharing in their developmental years.

Intermediate Unit 11

The IU-11 has been a partner since 1999, when preschool services for Head Start enrolled three and four year olds in Fulton County were provided in an inclusive classroom with children enrolled in the IU program.

Early Intervention of Bedford & Somerset County MH/MR

Early Head Start is a reliable participant in the Bedford County LICC and has been for many years.  Representatives from Early Head Start actively collaborate with the other LICC members to participate in ChildFind activities, community fairs and events to increase Bedford County residents awareness of the programs and services our agencies provide.  With parental permission, the EHS Disabilities Manager directly refers children in Bedford County to the Early Intervention program in the event developmental delays are indicated on screenings completed by the EHS home visitors.  The direct referral process from EHS to Early Intervention program is managed so that the parent is then contacted by Early Intervention, thus removing the parent from having to contact Early Intervention themselves.  In today’s day and age of busy schedules and lifestyles, it is often appreciated by families to be assisted in this process.

Everett Area School District – Everett Elementary

Since 2012 the Head Start program and the Title I staff at Everett Elementary have been working toward the common goal of helping children within the district be more prepared for kindergarten.  Since that time, our staff, their kindergarten and Title I staff have met on a quarterly basis for resource sharing and program updates.  In addition, we jointly participate in each other’s family nights throughout each program year by providing activities and resources to families.  Head Start families are invited to all Everett Elementary Family Nights.  In the spring of each year, Head Start students are transported to the elementary school for a tour of the building and to participate in activities led by the district staff.  Everett Elementary Title I reading students and their teachers visit the Head Start classroom in the spring as well so the elementary students can read to the Head Start children.  This cooperative effort has been extremely positive for staff and families of both programs.

Children and Youth Services of Bedford County

We collaborate with the Bedford County children and Youth Services (CYS) agency providing support to families that have open cases.  We work in partnership to assist families involved with CYS to obtain needed health care, keep recommended appointments, complete important goals required to have their CYS case closed and in some cases have staff assist in supervised visitations with families whose children have been temporarily removed from their home.  Head Start/Early Head Start also provides services to foster children involved in CYS, when possible.

HS/EHS and School Readiness

Our program uses the online Teaching Strategies Gold Assessment Tool to assess each child’s developmental level and progress.  This assessment tool is aligned to the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and to the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Three to four times per year each teacher or Parent Child Educator (PCE) makes a determination for each developmental objective for each child on their caseload.  There are a total of 51 objectives to assess per child.  This information is used by each teacher and PCE to plan for and implement an individualized education program for each child.

Following each determination period, outcomes are analyzed to ensure that our children are making progress within each objective.  child outcomes are also used to guide instruction and training of staff.

School Readiness Goals are established within each domain of learning for both the EHS and HS programs.  These goals are developed from assessment information based on the needs of the children.  School Readiness Goals are assessed in an ongoing manner and changed according to the needs exhibited by the children.  An important part of our program is to ensure that parents have an understanding of their child’s goals and how they can be working with their child to meet and exceed their individualized goals.

Our program is dedicated to having our children be prepared for kindergarten.  The outcome results indicate that our HS and EHS programs are helping our children go to school with a solid educational foundation and are ready to continue their learning.