Newly Redesigned Web Site at STNonline.com!

Over the weekend we launched the new stnonline.com, which includes added features like a self-contained blog network. This means you can read this blog on our site and don't need to follow us here. In fact, we'll no longer be updating this external site. So please be sure to bookmark stnonline.com. Thanks!

Senate Confirms New Head of Administration of Children and Families

From the National Head Start Association:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday that the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Carmen Nazario as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. In that role, she will oversee the Administration for Children and Families within HHS.

"Carmen Nazario has a distinguished record of more than 40 years working in human services at every level of government, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors," said Secretary Sebelius. "She has devoted her career to developing and implementing programs that promote the well-being of children and families, and she will build on that important work as Assistant Secretary for Children and Families."

National Head Start Association Mourns Passing of Eunice Shriver

Here's is what NHSA Executive Director Yasmina Vinci had to say a few weeks ago about the life of first-sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics and mother of California first lady Maria Shriver:

"We send our condolences to the Shriver and Kennedy families. Throughout her life Eunice Kennedy Shriver impacted the lives of millions of Americans through her advocacy, promotion of research, and non-profit entrepreneurial skills. Influenced by the mental retardation of her late sister Rosemary, she was a pioneer in advocating for the rights of disabled, shaping the research agenda of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation to fund mental retardation research, helping to establish the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to conduct research on child and adult health issues, and founding the Special Olympics. Millions of people with mental disabilities in 170 nations have participated in the Special Olympics. Also, I have just learned from reading a tribute by her brother, Senator Edward M. Kennedy that the Americans with Disabilities Act would not have happened without her."

National Head Start Association Statement on Death of Sen. Edward Kennedy

This today from the NHSA Web site after the announcement was made that Sen. Edward Kennedy passed away after a fight with brain cancer:

Senator Kennedy was a life-long champion of the people of Massachusetts. He was also a champion of children, especially our nation's neediest children. Each and every one of us involved in early childhood education owes this man a debt of gratitude for all he has brought to the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Kennedy was instrumental in the passing of the 1964 enactment of the federal Head Start program serving low-income and at-risk preschoolers. Since the agency was implemented in 1965, Kennedy championed its reauthorization ever since.

Parental Involvement Gives a Better 'Head Start'

Perform a Google search of both "parent involvement" and "Head Start" and you will be spending the next week reviewing all the material connected to the interlacing phrases. The two go hand in hand, as they should, and Head Start staffs around the country have worked hard to make sure that connection is both visible and viable.

At the Head Start Forum this past July at the STN EXPO in Reno, attendees labeled this as one of the community's "hot topics," so I now open the discussion to you, the experts in the field: How do you get (and keep) your parents involved at your Head Start center?

Stephane

Children Sprayed with Pesticides While Waiting for Bus

When a tractor engulfed in a white mist steadily rolled towards Nancy and Bryan Lara as they waited at their school bus stop in Caruthers, Calif., they knew something wasn't right. As the cloud passed them, it left a residue in the air and on their skin. Two blocks before, another student was also hit by the cloud and left with a coating of what tuned out to be a combination of "liquid sulfur, gibberellic acid, insecticide and fertilizer" — pesticide.

"Kryocide, the chemical that the children were sprayed with, is not an organophosphate. It is 'slightly toxic if inhaled' and can damage a person's kidneys and bones if they are repeatedly exposed to it, according to a manufacturer's information sheet."

The article immediately made me think of the large number of migrant and seasonal children that attend the Head Start centers around this country. If you have heard of this happening, please email me. Also, pass this article on to parents, Head Start staff and anyone else that you feel should be informed.

Getting to Know You

A recent blog by Terri Mauro of Ask.com's Special Needs Children discusses the importance of parents meeting their children's teachers, administrators and other school support staff. Regarding school transportation, she writes:

If your child's school is just someplace at the end of a bus route, and the personnel there [are] just voices on the phone when there's trouble, consider the advantages of upping your school IQ.

Many school districts across the nation train their bus drivers to be proactive in introducing themselves to parents before classes even resume so as to familiarize themselves with their routes and the "customers" they'll be serving the rest of the school year. Such meetings can also be beneficial in learning about individual students, especially the youngest, newest riders, to ensure the transition from home to the bus to class goes as smoothly as possible.

Of course, with regard to students with disabilities, introductions to parents can also go a long way in helping drivers understand the special physical or emotional needs of their students. Transportation staff should definitely already be a part of the IEP meeting, but drivers taking this extra step can fortify the lessons learned.

How does your school district and drivers prepare for the school year and meeting student riders and their parents?