Klamath Family Head Start

VISION

Our vision is to educate and empower children and families to reach their full potential, and advocate for themselves, the community and their future.

MISSION

Our mission is to promote school and life readiness by providing individualized early learning services to eligible children and families. Family development, education, and wellness services are provided to all enrolled children and families.

VALUES

Our values are based on the family being the child’s most important teacher. We welcome families by inviting them to participate in all aspects of the program, while encouraging them to share their skills and language. Klamath Family Head Start promotes and supports individual growth so families can set the stage for children’s success in school and in life.

ABOUT US

Klamath Family Head Start (KFHS) was established in 1980 and has two major funding sources, the Federal Government through the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Head Start and the State through the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).  The program started with sixty children in 1980 and grew to three hundred thirty children in 2007-2008. KFHS currently serves 288 children ages 3-5 and 32 infants and toddlers.

What We Do  

Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development.  

Head Start programs provide a learning environment that supports children's growth in the following domains:  

• language and literacy; 
• cognition and general knowledge; 
• physical development and health; 
• social and emotional development; and 
• approaches to learning. 

Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social, and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child and family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.  

Head Start emphasizes the role of parents as their child's first and most important teacher. Head Start programs build relationships with families that support:  

• family well-being and positive parent-child relationships; 
• families as learners and lifelong educators; 
• family engagement in transitions; 
• family connections to peers and community; and 
• families as advocates and leaders. 

Head Start Services  

Head Start serves preschool-age children and their families. Many Head Start programs also provide Early Head Start, which serves infants, toddlers, pregnant women and their families who have incomes below the federal poverty level.  

Head Start programs offer a variety of service models, depending on the needs of the local community. Programs may be based in:  

• centers or schools that children attend for part-day or full-day services; 
• family child care homes; and/or 
• children's own homes, where a staff person visits once a week to provide services to the child and family. Children and families who receive home-based services gather periodically with other enrolled families for a group learning experience facilitated by Head Start staff. 

Over a million children are served by Head Start programs every year, including children in every U.S. state and territory and in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Since 1965, nearly 30 million low-income children and their families have received these comprehensive services to increase their school readiness.  

Grants  

The Office of Head Start (OHS), within the Administration of Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services, awards grants to public and private agencies on a competitive basis to provide these comprehensive services to specific communities. Head Start grantees provide the services as described in the Head Start Performance Standards and in accordance with the Head Start Act of 2007. The Office of Head Start is responsible for oversight of these grantees, to ensure the performance standards are met and the best quality of care is provided to the enrolled children. In addition, some cities, states and federal programs offer funding to expand Head Start and Early Head Start to additional children within their jurisdiction.