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Family and Community Services
What Can Head Start Offer Your Family? Head Start offers you a sense of belonging, other support services and a chance to be involved in activities to help your whole family. You can take part in training workshops on many subjects, such as disciplining children, parenting, job training, health, nutrition, and using free resources in your own community. Some parents learn the English language, others may learn to read. Head Start can also help in obtaining your GED, and other educational opportunities.
If you have a family member with a special problem, such as drugs, alcohol, job loss, or any family crisis, your family can receive help through Head Start.
Head Start Family & Community Service Workers and Teachers refer families needing help to medical, public aid, or employment agencies in the community, and will follow up to make sure you have received assistance.
As a parent, you also have a voice in Head Start. Parents serve on various committees and can be elected to sit on the Policy Council, one of the governing boards of Head Start. Parents make policies and important decisions in Head Start.
Social Service and Parent Involvement is offered in all nine counties of TCOC Head Start. TCOC has 14 Family & Community Service Workers to serve families:
Laura Crawford: (Bilingual) Serving Sterling Wallace and All Spanish Speaking Families Cindy Pace-Kennedy: Serving Sterling AM/PM and Sterling Exp. AM/PM Betsy Kinder: Serving Savanna Extended Day, Savanna West Carroll, and Morrison Lendy Smith: Serving Dixon AM/PM Robin Pearce: Serving Dixon Home Base, Oregon, Rock Falls AM/PM, and Rock Falls Extended Day Aby Guerrero: Serving Rochelle Jennifer Sagel: Serving Sterling/Rock Falls CC and Open Sesame
Karen Welch: Serving Spring Valley, Earlville and Mendota AM/PM Stephanie Orozco: Serving Streator Andrea Cox: Serving LaSalle AM/PM, LaSalle Ext. Day and LaSalle Home Base Maria Barrios: Serving All Spanish Speaking Families Beth Giordano: Serving Lacon, Wyoming, and Granville Marsha Miller: Serving Ottawa Expansion AM/PM, Ottawa FD/FY and Seneca Maria Sanchez: Serving Ottawa AM/PM and Kid’s Place
Family Activities
Parent Meetings: Families have the opportunity to meet together as a parent group once a month. Parents are in charge at these meetings, and choose the topics of discussion. Parents and children have the opportunity to do a family activity, and have a snack together. Parents then hold a meeting to discuss happenings in the classroom, field trips, planning class activities, and have a choice of a parenting topic such as discipline. The classroom teacher is available for 15 minutes for planning and questions. The Family & Community Service Worker is there for the meeting to assist parents through the meeting. Please check with your classroom for the dates and times of these wonderful meetings.
Family Fun Nights: Family Fun Nights take place sometime in February. This is a wonderful opportunity for staff, parents, and children to come together for a fun filled night of activities and food. Family Fun Nights are planned in conjunction with parents and staff. A theme is chosen (such as circus) and activities are planned around the theme. Community leaders are invited in to participate or read a story. There are great door prizes, games and lots of food. This is a FREE event for Head Start families!!!!!
Annual Parent Conference: The Annual Parent Conference is held at the Mendota Civic Center in Mendota, IL. Workshops will be provided on subjects such as; discipline, nutrition, co-parenting, and life skills. There are informational booths from local agencies for information. There will be lunch, key note speaker, and lots and lots of prizes. This wonderful conference is planned by parents and staff. The workshop is provided for FREE in collaboration with Family Community Development and Small Steps.
Fishing Derby: Each year the Male Involvement Committee sponsors a Fishing Derby in Mendota, IL. This is a fun filled family day of fishing, eating and socializing. Children fish along the banks of the Mendota Lake, and can win prizes for; biggest fish, smallest, most unusual, most fish caught and so on. Hot dogs, chips and juice are provided to all families, and fishing poles are available. The next derby will be May 16, 2009, 12:00-2:00. This day of fun, food and fishing is brought to you by: The Male Involvement Board, YOU, and the City of Mendota and the cost to you is FREE.
For more information on: Parent Involvement, Family Service or Male Involvement in Head Start, contact Lorri Bernier, TCOC Head Start Family Specialist.
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