Head Start Now Offering Earlier Boost

By Erica Kritt of the Carroll County Times

June 12, 2010

Torry Malico, right, plays with Justin Reyes, 10 months, at Head Start in Westminster.

Cameron Dill, 14-months-old, has made some significant strides in the past two months.

"He's learning to put things together," Qianna Dinkins, Cameron's mother said. Her son, she said, is also learning to play with others and be more independent.

Cameron is one of 72 children involved in Early Head Start, a new program that serves children from birth to age 3 and pregnant women through the Carroll County arm of Catholic Charities Head Start. The program serves children from low-income households and their mothers and is free for the families involved. It is funded by a two-year $2,121,036 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"We're really capitalizing on that rapid brain development," Amy Collier said. Collier is the administrator for Catholic Charities Head Start and Early Head Start.

Dinkins said, at first, she was nervous that Cameron was too young to be in such a program, but after meeting with Cameron's teachers and with Head Start officials she said she felt assured. Anna Trzos, who teaches Cameron and other toddlers, said parents are encouraged to spend the day with their children, and they help to develop individual goals for them each week.

"The parents set the goals, and we have to come up with how to get to them," she said.

Liza Frye, who is the director of the Carroll County Head Start programs, said that parents play a key role at the organization; some even serve on the nonprofit's policy council.

"We really try to engage the families so the activities can be built upon in the home environment," she said.

The program consists of classrooms in Westminster, Manchester and Taneytown, but also has family specialists that come to a child or expecting mother's home once a week for those who have opted to receive the program at home.

Early Head Start has partnered with the school system's Parents as Teachers program, which offers family education and support.

"It's a holistic program," Collier said.

Morgan Sweet, of Westminster, is a member of the program and gets home visits once a week. Sweet, who is pregnant, also has a daughter who is 2 years old and is in the program as well. Sweet said she really enjoys the program because she learns things to do with her children that are simple and easy to do at home. She said when they do things such as matching and finding objects, she realizes what her daughter's capabilities are. Sweet said she has about a month left until she is ready to deliver her baby, so the Head Start representative has been getting them prepared. She was shown a video and they read a book about babies to her daughter.

Collier said by starting at the prenatal stage, the program is able to get to know the families and provides referrals to help them in ways other than preparing their children for school.

Ed Wilson, who has two grandchildren attending Head Start and another two in the Early Head Start program, said the program gives his grandchildren a great education and also gives his daughters a chance to work while their children are being looked after.

"Everything they need is here," Wilson said.

The main Carroll County services are focused in the nonprofit center in Westminster. Wilson said it makes it easy for parents to connect with other services provided by other Carroll nonprofits that may be in the same building.

"It's a wonderful program, and I'm proud to have my grandchildren here," he said.

Early Head Start is currently at its maximum capacity. For more information on the program or to be put on a waiting list, call 410-871-2450.

Related Program: Carroll County Head Start