Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/unique-communities-demand-innovative-service-delivery/5020912/
Every child is unique. Anyone who works with children recognizes that no two are alike, that each child has individual strengths and needs and personality. In the same way, every community has its own constellation of resource needs. Many examples of specially-designed service delivery models come from Head Start.Head Start programs operate in all 50 states and several United States territories, from frontier counties to the most densely populated cities to Native American reservations �" wherever children are living in poverty. As those who direct and teach in early childhood programs of all types appreciate, each community poses its own challenges for families and for programs working to meet their needs.
While Head Start and Early Head Start programs share common standards and a unified mission of providing comprehensive services to children and families living in poverty, if you have the opportunity to visit different programs, you will quickly see that no two are quite the same. These differences arise from the commitment Head Start and Early Head Start make to meeting children, as well as communities, where they are:
• In rural areas, transportation poses a major challenge to parents.
• In places with high teen birth rates, parents balance the need ...