uams head start
Working with Families: A School Readiness Success Story
“We develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and obstacles.” Stephen Covey
Saint Killian was four years old in September of 2020. He is the youngest of five siblings in a single parent home. He had attended Kennedy Head Start the previous year and had good attendance. His mom participated in all school activities. Saint has always been a quiet and gentle child. He loves school and he loves to learn.
Due to a bad car accident right before school started, Saint missed the first few weeks of school. During this time his mother, teachers, and FES stayed connected with each other to continue Saint’s learning and to check on the family’s well-being. The classroom sent home-tasks to the parent for her to do with Saint while he was out.
A couple of months after returning to school, Saint’s face began to swell. At first both the teacher, FES and mom thought it was just allergies, but they decided that it might be something more and his mother took him to the doctor. She found out that Saint has a chronic medical condition.
Throughout the many hospital visits and changes the family was going through, school staff and his mother continued working together to help Saint adjust to his new diet and restrictions and to help prepare him for kindergarten. At the end of the year Saint proved to be Kindergarten ready in every domain!
Due to his Head Start family and his mother’s continued communication and commitment, Saint was one of the top students in his class at the end of the year. He even gave the End of the Year Celebration Speech!
Metro Field Day 2021
Head Start and Kindergarten Readiness/ Head Start y Preparación para el Jardín de Infantes
Head Start Families: Don’t take the Summer off from Learning!
The 2020-2021 school year has ended and students are on summer vacation. During this time of fun and relaxation, we want to encourage parents and children to keep their brains active during the summer! Our Education and PFCE Team put together summer learning packets full of learning games, reading activities and resources to keep students actively engaged during the summer months. Some material included in the packets: Summer Resource Guide, ReadyRosie flyer with playlist, & Summer Soar Gameboard. As well as being fun, the activities included in the packets promote playful investigation, and learning. These activities are perfect for keeping children learning all summer long.
We also included the Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist for Parents (English & Spanish) so parents can continue working with transitioning students during the summer break. Use this Kindergarten Readiness Checklist to make sure your child is prepared for Kindergarten. At UAMS Head Start/Early Head Start, our goal is to help your child get ready for success in school and life. We want all 4 and 5 year-olds transitioning out preschool to have the skills they need. These skills include language, thinking, social and emotional skills, pre-reading, math and problem-solving. We work with Little Rock and the surrounding school districts to find out what our students need to learn before entering Kindergarten. We also work with families and children to ensure a smooth transition between Head Start and Elementary School.
¡Familias de Head Start: No quites el Verano del Aprendizaje!
En UAMS Head Start / Early Head Start, nuestro objetivo es ayudar a su hijo o hija a prepararse para el éxito en la escuela y en la vida. Queremos que todos los niños de 4 y 5 años que están en transición desde el preescolar tengan las habilidades que necesitan. Estas habilidades incluyen lenguaje, pensamiento, habilidades sociales y emocionales, lectura previa, matemáticas y resolución de problemas. Trabajamos con la ciudad de Little Rock y los distritos escolares para averiguar qué necesitan aprender nuestros estudiantes antes de ingresar al Kindergarten. También trabajamos con familias y niños para asegurar una transición sin problemas entre Head Start y la escuela primaria.
Utilice esta Lista de Verificación de Preparación para el Jardín de Infantes para asegurarse de que su hijo/a esté preparado para el Jardín de Infantes. En UAMS Head Start / Early Head Start, nuestro objetivo es ayudar a su hijo o hija a prepararse para el éxito en la escuela y en la vida. Queremos que todos los niños de 4 y 5 años que están en transición desde el preescolar tengan las habilidades que necesitan. Estas habilidades incluyen lenguaje, pensamiento, habilidades sociales y emocionales, lectura previa, matemáticas y resolución de problemas. Trabajamos con la ciudad de Little Rock y los distritos escolares para averiguar qué necesitan aprender nuestros estudiantes antes de ingresar al Kindergarten. También trabajamos con familias y niños para asegurar una transición sin problemas entre Head Start y la escuela primaria.
King Head Start Mommy and Me Day
Mother’s Day Celebration at Kennedy Head Start
Muffins with Moms Pictures
In honor of Mother’s Day UAMS Kennedy Head Start, hosted “Muffins with Moms” It was a fun-filled morning with Moms engaging with each other and their children. Moms snacked on an assortment of muffins, cinnamon rolls, juice and water. This event was a great opportunity to build family engagement in our Head Start Program. The mothers enjoyed taking pictures with their children. They stated that the event made them feel special! Here are a few of the many pictures we took that day!
Cooking Class Spring 2019
Our HS, EHS and Partnership parents and family members participated in the 6 weeks Cooking Matters course. This program helps parents and caregivers, struggling with limited food budgets, learn how to shop for and cook healthy, affordable meals. After the parents learned about healthy eating and cooking, they participated in cooking healthy dishes during each session and were able to take the ingredients home to fix the dish in the privacy of their own homes.
Kennedy Head Start Gardens
The children at Kennedy enjoy planting and watering their garden. The children enjoy working in it by, pulling the weeds out, so that their vegetables can grow. The teachers talk with the children in the classroom about each plant that is growing, they measure and observe the changes weekly. The joy for children and staff is to taste the fruit & vegetables of their labor.
Staff Appreciation 2018-2019
As part of the Week of the Young Child UAMS Head Start/Early Head Start celebrated its staff with Staff Appreciation Week. Staff were given goodies everyday as a way to show them how important they are to the children and families and to the program as a whole. Here’s what they got!
Monday: Pineapples to remind them to stand tall, wear a crown on their heads and be sweet on the inside.
Tuesday: “It’s Worth It” Folders to help them remember all the great work they do.
Wednesday: Head Start Survival Kits
Thursday: Chips and Inspirational Bookmarks
Friday: Cookies!!
Thank you to all the staff at UAMS Head Start/Early Head Start. We could not do the work we do without each and everyone of you.