ABOUT us
Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5. In addition to education services, programs provide children and their families with health, nutrition, social, and other services. Head Start services are responsive to each child and family’s ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.
Head Start encourages the role of parents as their child’s first and most important teachers. Programs build relationships with families that support positive parent-child relationships, family well-being, and connections to peers and community. Head Start began as a program for preschoolers. Three- and 4-year-olds made up over 80 percent of the children served by Head Start last year.
Early Head Start serves pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. Early Head Start programs are available to the family until the child turns 3 years old and is ready to transition into Head Start or another pre-K program. Early Head Start helps families care for their infants and toddlers through early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive services. (taken from ELCKC)
Head Start comprehensive services include:
Education
Screenings and follow-up for health, development, and behavior
Health and safety
Social and emotional health
Nutrition
Family goal-setting
Social services
Transition services
Services for children with disabilities
Comprehensive services are delivered in a learning environment that is individualized to support children’s growth in the five essential domains. A minimum of 10 percent of a program’s total enrollment must be children with disabilities.
our history
In 1965, Absaroka Head Start began as a summer program in Worland granted to the Community Action Program (CAP) under the direction of the late Jim Argeris. It is 80% federally funded with the other 20% made up in in-kind donations. Absaroka Head Start has since expanded to seven counties with centers located in Basin, Buffalo, Cody, Lander, Lovell, Powell, Riverton, Sheridan, Thermopolis, and Worland utilizing 17 classrooms. The Head Start program provides half-day center-based services to 298 preschool age children. In 1978, Absaroka Head Start was incorporated and became Absaroka, Inc. In 2010, Absaroka added the Early Head Start program, which provides home-based services to pregnant women and children age 0-3 years of age in four counties. In the spring of 2015, the agency completed 50 years of service to the community of Worland.