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?

Increasing Your Buying Power

At last year's EXPO, STN veteran Denny Coughlin and my favorite Muskogee resident Jim Cameron put on a workshop entitled "Cooperative Bus Purchasing for Head Start Programs." The workshop grew out of a Minnesota state-wide cooperative program that Denny had presented on in 2007. The Minnesota School Bus Purchasing Program allows school districts to purchase school buses through the state, which lowers the overall cost. Imagine all the Head Start programs in your state as one unified buying force, or, better yet, a federal bus purchasing program.
In 2007, Denny presented a similar workshop, "Spec’ing Buses Online," and was gracious enough to allow me to post the PowerPoint presentation from it. If you have any problems downloading it, send me an email.

Head Start Eyes More Money for FY 2010

Last month, the House Appropriations Committee matched President Obama's request for $7.2 billion for next fiscal year, but the National Head Start Association said in its July 24 news feed that it still seeks an additional increase in Senate’s final figure:

The House Appropriations Committee marked up and passed the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Education (“Labor-H”) bill at the end of last week. Not surprisingly, after receiving significant increases this year through the supplemental American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ($2.1 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start) and with President Obama’s request for just $122 million more than Head Start received last year in our regular annual appropriation, the House Appropriations Committee agreed on President Obama’s request for Head Start. It would provide $7.2 billion (the same as the Obama Administration requested and $122 million above FY 2009) to “sustain high-quality, comprehensive early childhood services, including educational, health, nutritional, and social services, to approximately 978,000 low-income children before they enter school, nearly 70,000 over the fiscal year 2008 level.” The full House still needs to vote on the Labor-H bill.

NHSA and numerous partners requested an increase of 1 billion dollars for FY 2010 on top of the current annual appropriation. With the Senate slated to finish its work on all appropriation bills for FY 2010 by Oct. 1, NHSA invited its members to write or call Senate Appropriations Committee and subcommittee members.

Child Passenger Safety

After to talking to SafeGuard's Charlie Vitts at the EXPO last week, I looked into a Yahoo! forum on child passenger safety. There were a number of groups discussing the topic. You can either just read the comments or join one of the groups to contribute or ask further questions.
Thanks Charlie.

Yahoo! Child Passenger Safety Forums

Let the Discussions Begin

By Stephane Babcock

Hello to everyone who did and did not attend the recent STN EXPO in Reno last week. During the Head Start Forum — one of my favorite parts of the conference — we discussed this blog and how we can use it as another forum to discuss Head Start-related issues. We also realized we had a total of 520 years worth of Head Start experience in the room!! We were able to come up with the following list of common concerns:

- eight-way violations
- covering the cost of replacement buses
- buying buses cooperatively
- child safety restraints
- budget/enrollment issues
- pedestrian safety
- parent involvement
- safety training
- education on the bus
- federal and state reviews
- policies and procedures
- federal vs. state regulations

I will create a post for each of the above topics soon (sorry, the next issue is due this week) and open up the discussion to you. Here's the hitch: You have to get involved and post some comments. If you having issues, send me an email or give me a call at the office, 310-802-7812. It was great to see everyone at the conference. The Head Start community packed every class and made this year even better. Hope to hear from you soon. And yes, I misspelled pedestrian as "pedestrial"...

Head Start Students Can Soon Fall Behind Without the School Bus

By Ryan Gray

Need an example of how important school busing is to low-income parents, and why the service is so important to Head Start? Look no further than a recent study performed by the Center on Reinventing Public Education that found a lack of reliable transportation is the main barrier to sending children to better schools outside of their urban neighborhood.

The report was published this month after the center interviewed 600 inner-city parents who earn no more than $75,000 a year. Some interesting findings:

• More than a quarter (27%) of all parents interviewed said they would have chosen a school outside their neighborhood were it not for transportation problems.
• Parents prevented from choosing due to transportation problems indicated less satisfaction with the school attended by their child than parents who sent children to schools other than their nearby school.
• Most children who attend out-of-neighborhood schools are driven by their parents.
• Families now sending their child to charter or private schools have them travel much farther than children going to neighborhood schools.
• Many low-income parents say they would let their child travel farther to a better school, if they could.

Head Start children receive an invaluable service in beginning their education via school bus transportation. But unfortunately, as the survey shows, these children while initially on the right path may soon fall behind if they are unable to receive a better long-term education because they have no way to get there.

Cable Company Donates to Local Head Start Programs

Comcast, a national cable service provider, recently donated over $3,000 to Savannah and Liberty County (Ga.) Head Start programs. Since 2001, the company's Comcast Foundation has donated $1.4 billion in cash and in-kind support to national and local non-profit groups across the country.

As part of Comcast Cares Day, close to 200 Comcast employees in the area helped clean up Head Start centers in both Hinesville and Savannah. Employees and family members raised $2,480 for Savannah's Head Start program and $820 for Liberty County.

Have you worked with local and national charities to help fund your program? Comment below.

Prison Program Allows On-Site Early Head Start Program

While reading a lengthy article on a women's prison in Kentucky that allows weekly bonding time for incarcerated mother and their newborn children, I came across a interesting Head Start program towards the end the of the five-page piece.

At the Washington Corrections Center for Women, the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) operates an Early Head Start program for female immates who are either pregnant or have newborns:

"Home-based services are also provided by Early Head Start Family Educators to pregnant women and newborns living on J Unit. Services include weekly home (cell) visits to provide prenatal education and information about infant health and development, to screen for maternal depression, and to promote positive parent-child interaction. Family Educators also work with RPP families and corrections staff to develop individualized transition plans as the family approaches release from WCCW. This is done to insure each family will have the support it needs to make a smooth transition back into its community."

Head Start Agencies Getting Stimulated

A number of Head Start programs in the suburbs of Boulder and the Denver, Colo., will be receiving almost $700,000 from federal stimulus funds. The money will help the agencies with cost-of-living increases and also improve the overall quality of the programs, including (possibly) transportation.

A provision of the Head Start stimulus will provide $350 million for quality improvements. This includes funding for staff training, according to an Office of Head Start program instruction from April. Some programs have used this portion of their intended funding to send staff to national conferences like the National Head Start Association this past April and the upcoming STN EXPO in Reno.

How are you planning to spend your stimulus dollars? Comment below.

C.A.N.D.Y. for All the Kids

The Mississippi Press reported on a program that is visiting schools (including Head Start agencies) in the southeast part of the state that is teaching kids safety on numerous levels. Citizens Against Needless Death in Youth (C.A.N.D.Y.) representatives have been giving presentations each month on seat belt safety, handling bullies and water safety.

C.A.N.D.Y. is a program funded through a local chapter of the United Way.

2010 Scholarships and Awards Application Now Available

The 2010 National Head Start Association Scholarships and Awards booklet, which includes the application for the Support Staff of the Year Award: Bus Driver/Transportation Services, is now available for download.

All of the NHSA awards and scholarships recognize deserving individuals for exceptional service to Head Start. The Support Staff of the Year Award is rotated annually among different administrative categories within Head Start, and for 2010, the award will be given to an individual in transportation services.

The application deadline is Jan. 6, 2010 and the winner will receive a certificate and a $500 award.

Judge Overturns Conviction of Pair that Served 14 Years in Molestation Case

On June 24, a common pleas judge acquitted a bus driver and a Lorain County, Ohio, man in a controversial Head Start sex case after each had served more than 14 years in prison. At the time of the trial, authorities said and a jury agreed that Nancy Smith, now 52, drove her Head Start bus with children to meet Joseph Allen, now 56, who then sexually abused the children. Allen and Smith said they never met and denied that they harmed the children.

Lorain County Judge James Burgee said he carefully reviewed their cases before deciding not enough evidence was presented at trial to convict them. More on the history of the case can be found from the Chronicle Telegram.