Meet us
Our Mission
The KidZCommunity Head Start mission is to empower children and their families to maximize their full potential through opportunities for growth and change.
Our Values
The entire KidZCommunity organization is dedicated to creating and fostering a supportive environment which promotes trust, respect, professional growth, and quality leadership.
Our Vision
KidZCommunity envisions a future in which children and families are the nation’s top priority. KidZCommunity is recognized for offering services that enrich children’s development through self‐discovery, extraordinary environments and healthy enjoyable experiences.
We are guided by a Reggio Emilia inspired approach to teaching, learning and reflection that promotes family engagement in, children’s development, the program and the community.
We promote healthy eating and serve organic foods grown in community gardens. We invite staff to participate in relationship based reflective practices, and health and wellness activities. Our teachers are fully engaged, focused and have the time and space to reflect. They bring joy into teaching and helping children to enter kindergarten with an enthusiasm to learn.
How Can KidZCommunity Assist My Family?
Directors, Managers, Specialists, Support Staff, Teachers, Family Engagement Advocates and Home Visitors are available to assist families in the following ways:
- Provide quality early childhood education experiences.
- Ensure children and parents are prepared for school.
- Offer shared-decision making opportunities.
- Work with parents to set family or personal goals and to design an individualized approach for achieving those goals.
- Provide up-to-date resource directories and information about community services.
- Invite representatives from various community agencies to speak with individual families or at committee meetings.
- Assist in locating services that are supportive and in family’s preferred languages.
- Supply information and give direction on family health and nutrition.
- Provide adult education opportunities and support.
- Promote family engagement and closing the “Exposure Gap”
- Provide access to literacy activities.
- Offer a Father Engagement program.
- Support friendships and fun!
- Assist families by offering information or links to resources on parenting, health and mental health, child development, social services and nutrition.
Family Partnership Agreement Process
Your Family Engagement Advocate or Home Visitor will begin working with you on the Family Partnership Agreement process during the two months following enrollment. They will support you and update the Agreement throughout the year.
- Together you will discuss your family’s strengths and areas needing support.
- You will identify one or two goals that you would like to accomplish during the program year for you or your family.
- Both you and our staff will develop strategies and time frames to help you reach your goals.
- All program staff including, Teachers, Family Engagement Advocates and/or Home Visitors will support you and your family in reaching these goals.
Home Visiting
If enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start Center Based the teaching staff and your Family Engagement Advocate will visit your home three times a year.
If enrolled in Early Head Start Home Based option, a Home Visitor will visit your home on a weekly basis.
It is the practice of the Head Start program for each family to be visited in the home by the classroom teacher twice during the school year. The purpose of a home visit is to develop communication between parents, teachers, and staff, to learn more about the child and his/her family, to learn more about parent’s expectations and goals, and for the teacher to share observations and the progress in the program. These home visits will help your child see the connection between home and school. Home visits are scheduled periodically
