Published: July 24, 2003
Head
Start 101
When Cecilia Garcia recently visited a Washington, DC-based Head Start facility, she learned a lot—and shared the story of the Rosemount Center [1] with you. Many Head Start advocates responded with their own opinions on the future of the program.
While the quality of Head Start programs is variable around the country, there is absolutely no reason whatever to change the Head Start paradigm. It is child-oriented, family-friendly and supportive, and comprehensive in services to a diverse population of low-income children. Head Start was conceptualized by some of the best minds in the child development and early education fields. Some of these scholars continue to contribute to our knowledge base in child development and early childhood. We must not allow childhood to become so politicized that the best judgment of those in the know is circumvented by those who are not in the know but have a political agenda. We in the early childhood profession are quite capable of promoting quality improvements and working collaboratively to that end.Margaret Puckett
Thank you for a fair and well-balanced report on Head Start. I am a Head Start Director in Michigan and I am very worried about President Bush's plan for Head Start. It is very gratifying when a reporter or legislator takes the time to really look at a Head Start program and understand its comprehensive nature.
Kathy Kundrat
Head Start Director
Northwest Michigan Human Services
Navigating Foster Care
Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s
Houses, is a memoir by poet Paula McLain
who grew up in the foster care system along with her
sisters, Teresa and Penny. In “Three
Sisters [2]”, Susan Phillips approached McLain’s
memoir as an argument in favor of keeping siblings
together in foster care. Lois Denaut As someone who has known several foster children
and worked in the school system for a while, I see
the pain in the eyes of many children. I will begin
my first year as an elementary school teacher in
August, and hope to eventually take in some abandoned
children once I have settled into teaching. Those
of us who love kids feel their pain and want to
take it away from them and carry it on our own shoulders.
Thank you for writing such a touching article about
a problem so prevalent in our society. I look forward
to reading Ms. McLain's book. Patricia Martin A number of readers were upset to learn of the uncertain
future faced by TV’s Reading Rainbow, in Robert
Capriccioso’s story “Rainbow’s
End [3]?”
I am a parent who grew up watching Reading Rainbow
and took their book suggestions to the bookstore
to purchase for both my children as well as for
my friends’ children. I am outraged that in
this time of school readiness and early literacy
and children first "talk" shows like this
are being cut back. My children are 8 and 10 now
and still love to come home from school and watch
Reading Rainbow. My daughter loves the pictures;
she wants to be an illustrator. My son likes all
of the places they go. Kids need to have these experiences
that are at a pace that they can understand and
really focus on. Many shows are too fast and bright
and hard to follow. Keep it pure and perfect. Your IDEAs Susan Phillips’ commentary on the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act, “A
Battle of IDEAs [6]”, got the attention of many
parents of children with special needs. One mother
explains her situation:
As the parent of a dyslexic child who is qualified
as LD, I have first hand experience with the problems
with the implementation of the IDEA. The problem
with using funding to help children not qualified
as LD is not just the amount of money available,
it is what the schools will do with it. Currently,
even for reading disabled children like mine, no
reading instruction is provided or available past
grades 1 to 3 depending on where you live. If schools
do not even provide specific reading instruction
for their worst readers, what will they do with
the money for marginal readers? My daughter is also
qualified for LD in math. No remediation is available
for math. The current LD system in the schools just
provides support services so the children don't
fail. They do not remediate. They do not even write
goals in the IEP for math since they don't know
what to do with it. Again, it they don't know anything
to do for these kids, what will they do with to
help marginal children? These are the problems that
need to be addressed first before they decrease
parents' rights to try to force instruction out
of the school. We had to threaten to sue the school
just to get a phonics instruction for our daughter.
Phonics instruction is the research proven need
for dyslexic children, this info has been out since
early 1990's. We bought the reading instruction
package for the school ourselves. If this bill had
passed before our daughter was in the system, the
school would have just ignored us and our daughter
would never have received any instruction at all. Potpourri
Unfortunately, this story is too common.
I used to work for Juvenile Records in Las Vegas,
Nevada. I remember a mother calling us, telling us
she couldn't care for her five small children as her husband ran away and left her without
money, food, etc. I always have wondered what became
of these five children and their mother. I was widowed
at the age of 30 years old, leaving me with six children
ages a baby to 10 years old. Fortunately, I had my
mother and father and in-laws helping me out with
food, clothing, etc.
Pot
of Gold?Our 4 year-old son loves Reading Rainbow.
He is already reading and loves to have the stories
read to him from the program. It would be an awful
shame to lose such a wonderful, fun, educational show!
We donate to PBS every year. It is a shame our money
is not being spread evenly among the wonderful shows
available.
Inquiries about donations to the show should be directed
via email to Steve
Lenzen [4] or Nan Schweiger [5].
Carl and Diane Miller
Martinsville, In
Lana Phillips
Paradise, CA
Some of you love us, some of you don’t:
It seems that all of your info is taken from the liberal side of the spectrum. It would be a nice change to see our kids have a choice as to what others say about these issues besides the chosen liberals you have gathered here. Balanced reporting is what kids need right now. So that they can make up their minds for themselves.
John Spence
To all of you we ask: what can we do better? Write us a note—we'd like to feature your opinion in our next talkback feature.
| Talk
Back |
If you've got comments or questions about this story, we'd like to hear them. Send your response to Susan Phillips [8]. |
http://www.connectforkids.org/node/485
Links:
[1] http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=170757
[2] http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=169814
[3] http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=178123
[4] http://www.connectforkids.org/mailto:slenzen@unl.edu
[5] http://www.connectforkids.org/mailto:
[6] http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=176252
[7] http://www.connectforkids.org/newsletter-url1572/newsletter-url.htm
[8] http://www.connectforkids.org/mailto:susan@benton.org?subject=Talk%20Back:%20Readers%20Respond,%20May%20-%20July