Head Start Health Services aims to support child wellness by encouraging practices that promote positive healthy behaviors for a lifetime. Our goal in health services is to have happy and healthy children so they are ready and able to learn! To do this, the program requires that all of the children enrolled must be up-to-date on scheduled well child care. Well-child care includes scheduled age appropriate preventive annual care with their medical, dental, and immunizations. Other screening tools used in the program to gage children’s health progress are: hearing, vision, behavioral, development, and nutritional assessment.

 

Head Start partners with parents to ensure they obtain medical and dental homes for their child. Staff encourages parents to become and stay active in their children's health care by accompanying their child to and from annual appointments. Our partnership also emphasizes to parents the importance of not only finding health providers, but also stresses to parents how regular preventative care can help identify abnormal growth and development or other medical conditions that could potentially affects a child’s learning. In an effort to improve the health of the child and to prevent future problems, assistance is provided to families with children needing further examinations and treatments.

 

 

Health education is promoted throughout the children’s daily classroom activities. One example is all children receive toothbrushes and tooth brushing is incorporated into the child’s daily routine. Health and dental education and trainings are provided to children, parents, and staff various times throughout the school year.