2008 Woodie Awards
New child care facility open for enrollment
Shreeya Rana
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: News
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Cora Jackson, family advocate resource associate for Head Start of Greater Dallas, said, "The requirements for enrollment for Head Start is that the family has to be income eligible, has to meet the poverty guidelines."
Jackson said Head Start follows annual federal poverty guidelines; for instance, for 2007 the income guideline for a family of four is $20,650 whereas for a family of five, it is $24,130.
Mary A. Brumbach, vice president for resource and economic development at Brookhaven, said Head Start provides a holistic approach to family development.
"One reason why it works so well for the college is that Head Start parents will be able to come to school here, which means their children will not be first generation college students," she said.
Brumbach said Head Start parents will be able to apply for scholarships from a fund of $75,000 donated to Brookhaven by Greater Texas Foundation.
Brumbach said most of the Head Start parents will also be eligible for federal financial aid, so it provides a good opportunity to get a college education.
Head Start will make Brookhaven a huge magnet for the community because not just Brookhaven students but area residents can enroll their children at the Brookhaven Head Start Center, Brumbach said.
Brumbach said the partnership between HSGD and Brookhaven is very unique. She said Brookhaven leased Head Start the land, while the organization is helping to construct the building and pay it off, although in the end the building will revert to the college.
"So we're getting a $3.4 million building out of this as well as having space for children and having a child development lab," Brumbach said.
Jane Rowe, Brookhaven child development professor, said Head Start will offer programs such as education, family literacy, dental, physical and mental health, nutrition and special services for kids with developmental disabilities, among others.
"It's probably the largest federal program that people don't argue about; Head Start works," Rowe said.
She said that out of two low-income children, the one who goes to Head Start will do better in kindergarten than the one who does not.
Rowe said Head Start will provide a center for child development students where they can work with children without having to go to off-campus locations.
Rob Massonneau, director of external affairs for HSGD, said, "As a lab school, the center will help increase the number and quality of early childhood educators, badly needed by local early childhood education programs."
Massonneau said the center will open Aug. 20.
For more information on how to enroll preschoolers, students can call 972-283-6400 or visit the Web site www.hsgd.org.
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