Head Start and Pre-K Counts
Head Start and Pre-K Counts
In another year, your 4-year old will be marching off to kindergarten. It’s exciting and perhaps a little scary, too. Kindergartners start school expected to know their letters, the sounds the letters typically make and rhyming words. They are expected to count to 10 and recognize these numbers. Kindergartners are expected to be able to sit for several hours a day, know how to share and take turns.
Program Options –
Community Services for Children offers two preschool options, Head Start and Pre-K Counts. Although their funding differs somewhat, we operate them with the same high standards. Children attend school between 160 and 180 days a year. We provide preschool for 11 area school districts: Allentown, Bangor, Easton, Bethlehem, East Penn, Salisbury, Northampton, Northern Lehigh, Parkland, Pen Argyl and Whitehall-Coplay and we also collaborate with Colonial Intermediate Unit 20.
In both programs, breakfast and lunch are provided, and parents receive progress reports about their child.
To qualify,
-
-
- Your family must reside in either Northampton or Lehigh County;
- Your child must be 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1;
- Priority is given for families whose income is at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level for Head Start and 300 percent for Pre-K Counts.
-
What is Head Start of the Lehigh Valley?
Head Start began in the Lehigh Valley in 1965 during President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty programs. Today we have about 50 Head Start classrooms across the Lehigh Valley, most run independently, and some run in conjunction with public schools. To be eligible for this high-quality preschool education, at no cost to the parent or guardian, a child must be at least 3 years old. Priority is given to families who meet federal poverty level guidelines. Head Start is a two-generation program in which we work as diligently with the family as it seeks strength and healthy growth as we do the child. Physical, mental and social health are encouraged along with learning literacy, math, science and the arts.
Please visit www.headstartlv.org for additional information and to see if your child qualifies for these programs.
Community Resource Booklet for 2023/2024
The Community Resource Book is a complete and comprehensive document for all resources and information pertaining to Head Start and Early Head Start in the Lehigh Valley.