Family Services

Family Services

Family Service Workers work with families to create a partnership between Head Start and each family while providing support and guidance to parents. The family service component at Head Start strives to assist parents in achieving their personal goals for themselves and their family.  Together, with your Family Service Worker, you will complete a Family Assessment, and Family Outcomes and are encouraged to establish a written plan of Family Goal(s) and take steps toward achieving your goals.

Referrals

Head Start staff provide parents with information regarding community services such as financial assistance programs, food pantries, educational, health/mental health, and employment opportunities. All referrals are followed up to ensure that you received the necessary assistance or information.

Emergency Assistance

Head Start staff provide support and advocacy for families in crisis by connecting them with appropriate agencies for emergency assistance. Follow-up services ensure that the families’ needs have been met.

Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework Engaging Families Prenatal to Age 8

Parent and family engagement in Head Start is about building relationships with families that support family well-being, strong relationships between parents and their children, and ongoing learning and development for both parents and children.  The Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework is a road map for progress in achieving the kinds of outcomes that lead to positive and enduring change for children and families.  The PFCE Framework was developed in partnership with programs, families, experts, and the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement.  It is a research-based approach to program change that shows how an agency can work together as a whole – across systems and service areas – to promote parent and family engagement and children’s learning and development.

When parent and family engagement activities are systemic and integrated across program foundations and program impact areas, family engagement outcomes are achieved, resulting in children who are healthy and ready for school.  Parent and family engagement activities are grounded in positive, ongoing, and goal-oriented relationship with families.  These are strategies that support the PFCE.