Head Start stands out for Community Partnerships

Community Services for Children’s Head Start program has collaborated with Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 for 15 years. During this time, Head Start and IU 20 have been a collaborative community partner assisting children ages three to five years old who have special needs. Together, we provide programming for children who are eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) alongside typically developing children.

Through our collaboration, Head Start children and children with verified disabilities are learning and developing together. Our collaboration ensures three staff members are available in each of the nine classrooms to support the higher number of children with special needs. Special education teachers from IU20 help to advance children’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and work with the Head Start teachers by offering teaching and adaptive strategies, providing trainings to address identified concerns, and recommending materials to foster children’s development. The Head Start and IU 20 teachers meet weekly to develop individualized plans for children and coordinate to meet with families for parent teacher conferences and home visits. Sandra Genzel, Vice-President of Pre-School Services adds, “We are proud of this partnership and the way it highlights our mission ensuring every child succeeds.”

Teri Haddad July 18th, 2022

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CSC Introduces New CEO

We are thrilled to announce that Deidra Vachier will serve as the new CEO for Community Services for Children! Deidra has worked at CSC for 24 years in various roles, most recently she served as VP of Early Childhood Development. Throughout her career, Deidra has been an advocate for high quality early learning. She has been responsible for the administration of the Head Start and Pre K counts programs, has provided leadership for a staff of over 300 and is dedicated to continuous improvement for our staff and programming. Community Services for Children is in good hands and we are delighted to welcome Deidra as our new leader!

On behalf of the CSC Board of Directors, Camie Modjadidi, M.Ed., Chair, said “the board enthusiastically welcomes Deidra to her new role as CSC’s CEO/President. Deidra has continuously demonstrated her expertise in the field of early childhood education; her dedication to our entire CSC family; and her commitment to continue CSC’s mission. We look forward to the meaningful impact she will make for children and families.”

Teri Haddad March 18th, 2022

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Kindergarten Registration Underway in the Allentown School District

The Kindergarten Jumpstart Center is in its third year supporting kindergarten registration in the Allentown School District. “It is exciting to be able to continue supporting families during these challenging and evolving times,” says Kaitlyn Fletcher, Assistant Director of Community Initiatives. As we are preparing for a new school year, we have exciting updates to share! The Kindergarten Jumpstart Center is now in four convenient locations; Jackson Early Childhood Center, Central Elementary School, Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School, and The Neighborhood Resource Center. Having four locations throughout Allentown has given us the opportunity to expand our resources, efforts, and supports to a substantial amount of families and children that may have not had the opportunity to utilize our program.

To reach even more families, we developed a public awareness campaign that provides parents with practical tips on school readiness to help their child successfully transition to school. We created calendars that have easy at home activities that can be incorporated into daily life! The calendars highlight school readiness skills, such as social emotional learning, physical, mathematical, and language skills. These have been distributed to 1,700 families and children. These calendars bring excitement to learning and give families a time to work together!

Kindergarten registration launched for Allentown School District in February and our bi-lingual school readiness partner is available to assist families throughout the entire registration process. The Kindergarten Jumpstart Centers primary focus remains on providing families with access to valuable tools and resources to help their child prepare for a successful transition from pre-school to kindergarten.

Teri Haddad March 18th, 2022

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CSC Policy Council Involves Parents to Make an Impact

Many decisions go into the direction and development of CSC’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs. One of the ways decisions are made is through the Policy Council. Policy Council is comprised of individuals who are elected by the parents of children who are currently enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start program. Members are able to serve for one year at a time for up to five years. In addition, parents themselves may also sit on the Policy Council to weigh in on the decisions and direction of the overall program. Policy Council exists because it is understood that parents are essential in the role of helping to educate young children, and it was decided that parents should be a part of the conversation regarding how early education best benefits their family, and other families in the community.

Presently, every Head Start and Early Head Start program have a Policy Council, which gives parents a voice and an active role in what their children learn in their classrooms, as well as how the funds for the program are used, among other things. All children, parents, and the program benefit when parents take an active leadership role in the education of their children. Parents are able to gain skills and connect with other parents and staff all while gaining confidence and creating a healthy environment for their children at home and at school. The program staff benefits directly when they are able to learn about the strengths, interests, and needs of the children and families they serve. With all parts of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs being cohesive, it ensures that children are given every opportunity to succeed.

Teri Haddad March 18th, 2022

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Thank you Paula

It is bittersweet that we announce that our CEO, Paula Margraf retired on March 11 after serving CSC for over 23 years. During her tenure, Paula has grown the organization with great passion. Paula has dedicated her life to serving children and families and her service has helped CSC further it’s mission to prepare young children and their families to succeed in learning and life through innovative, comprehensive, leading-edge services.

Paula has many accomplishments over the years, most notable perhaps are the development of the Literacy and Innovation Labs, the Kindergarten Jumpstart Centers, creation of the Learning Hub and expansion to the Neighborhood Resource Center and the expansion of the Early Learning Resource Centers into 5 regions. The agency was awarded the Morning Call Top Workplace Award for the 3rd time and in the “Special Awards” category, Paula was selected for the top Leadership Award.

Paula’s career influence extended beyond our region. She served as President of the Pennsylvania Head Start Association Board and continues to serve on the National Board of Head Start. Paula has been recognized as an Outstanding Advocate by National Head Start Association, and the agency was designated as a Program of Excellence by the National Head Start Association Quality Initiative. In short, the agency thrived under Paula’s leadership. We wish her all the best for a Happy and Healthy Retirement.

Teri Haddad March 18th, 2022

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CSC Introduces New CEO/President

Community Services for Children Introduces

New CEO/President, Deidra Vachier

ALLENTOWN, PA.  March 11, 2021 —

We are proud to announce Deidra Vachier has been named CEO/President of Community Services for Children (CSC) effective March 11, 2022. Vachier has worked at CSC for 24 years in various roles, most recently she served as Vice-President of Early Childhood Development. Throughout her career, Vachier has been an advocate for high quality early learning.  She has been responsible for the administration of the Head Start/Early Head Start and Pre-K counts programs, has provided leadership for a staff of over 300 and is dedicated to continuous improvement for our staff and programming.

In her previous role, she achieved success in advancing the field of Early Childhood Education through continuous advocacy for children and families, guaranteeing fiscal integrity and accountability.  She developed and delivered both staff and community professional development. She was also actively involved in ongoing program evaluation for continuous quality improvement and writing new and continuing grants and RFPs to maintain funding in support of a diverse funding stream. She has gained respect in the profession for designing a program and approach that is innovative and recognized as a leader in quality preschool education.

On behalf of the CSC Board of Directors, Camie Modjadidi, M.Ed., Chair, said “the board enthusiastically welcomes Deidra to her new role as CSC’s CEO/President.  Deidra has continuously demonstrated her expertise in the field of early childhood education; her dedication to our entire CSC family; and her commitment to continue CSC’s mission. We look forward to the meaningful impact she will make for children and families.”

Vachier is a current board member for the Pennsylvania Head Start Association and serves on the Lehigh County Office of Children & Youth Advisory Board. She holds the Pennsylvania Director’s Credential & Quality Assurance System Trainer Certification along with PA Department of Education teaching certification for Pre-K – 4^th grades.

Vachier succeeds Paula Margraf, who retired from this position after six years as CEO and 23 years of service with the organization.

Community Services for Children’s mission is to prepare young children and their families to succeed in learning and in life through comprehensive, innovative, leading edge services. We believe that every child should have equal opportunity for success, and that early experiences shape the future. We believe that parents are the child’s first and most important teacher, and children grow in the context of the family and community experience. Everyone at CSC is committed to providing the care necessary to ensure that every vulnerable family can have a bright future. Community Services for Children has core values of honesty, innovation, respect, excellence and stewardship, which guide all of our services. Head Start, Early Head Start and The Early Learning Resource Centers serve over 20,000 kids per year.

Community Services for Children (CSC) is a regional leader in early childhood education, and family services affecting the lives of 20,000 children annually. CSC’s Head Start/Early Head Start of the Lehigh Valley program is recognized as a national center of excellence and innovation. CSC provides early childhood education and family services for economically disadvantaged throughout 17 counties of Northeast PA. Headquartered in Allentown, with offices in 10 counties, Community Services for Children is a 501-c-3 not for profit organization employing over 400 individuals who are committed to ensuring a successful future for children.

Teri Haddad March 11th, 2022

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2nd Head Start Alumni Scholarship

Community Services for Children is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the 2nd Head Start Alumni Scholarship. The scholarship program was developed to award graduating seniors that are pursuing higher education and previously participated in a Head Start/Early Head Start program. According to the National Head Start Association (NHSA), children who participated in Head Start demonstrate positive results in the following areas: vocabulary, cognitive skills, parent involvement, high school graduation rates, college enrollment and completion, absenteeism, grade retention, classroom quality, self-control, and self-esteem. CSC is excited to be a part of these students’ journey towards life-long learning.

Daniela Alvarez is a graduate of Easton Area High School and will be attending Northampton Community College for early childhood education. Eva Abboud is a graduate of Louis E. Dieruff High School and will be attending Muhlenberg College and majoring in political science. Nallely De Roman Ramos also graduated from Easton Area High School and will be attending DeSales University, where she will be studying neuroscience. Yasier Herrera graduated from Whitehall High School and will be attending Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland, where she plans to study biology/pre-med. Community Services for Children commends you on your accomplishments and wishes you the best in all your future endeavors.

Teri Haddad August 16th, 2021

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