Children & Families First

ENROLLED

Let us help you make the most of your Head Start/Early Head Start experience

ENROLLED

Congratulations on your child’s acceptance into Children & Families First’s Head Start/Early Head Start or NC Pre-K Program. As your child prepares to enter one of our 14 NAEYC accredited child development centers, our goals are to provide your child with a safe, nurturing environment; an individualized and developmentally appropriate approach to learning, and a high-quality education that fosters your child’s social, intellectual, physical and emotional development.

We also utilize Teaching Strategies Gold, a web-based assessment program that measures your child’s progress and provides staff and families with outcome data in 10 key areas – from literacy and mathematics to science and the arts. 

CREATIVE CURRICULUM

All Children & Families First Head Start/Early Head Start centers strive to create learning environments that will help your child grow with confidence. Understanding that children learn through instruction, modeling, play, active participation in group activities and peer interaction, all of our classrooms use Creative Curriculum, a specialized curriculum designed to facilitate your child’s learning in all of these areas.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE

While the daily schedule differs between Head Start, Early Head Start and NC Pre-K programs, you can generally expect the following:

  • Your child will engage in activities designed especially for their age level including finger plays, story time, music and nature discoveries
  • Breakfast, lunch and snacks served daily
  • Computer time to enhance learning
  • Playground and movement activities, and quiet time

While enrolled in our Head Start/Early Head Start or NC Pre-K programs, you can also expect your child to:

  • Grow in their language development, phonemic awareness, appreciation of print and literacy, early writing and alphabet knowledge.
  • Engage in out-of-classroom educational experiences provided through cultural field trips
  • Develop greater levels of confidence, self-esteem and self-worth
  • Form healthy relationships with peers, teachers and support staff, and so much more!
DISABILITY

If your child has been diagnosed with a disability, you can be confident that Children & Families First is equipped to serve your child in developmentally appropriate classrooms. 

  • Disabilities served include, but are not limited to:
  • Autism
  • Developmental delay
  • Speech or language impairment
  • Hearing impairment
  • Visual impairment
  • Orthopedic impairment

We provide individualized services according to the child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Screenings and assessments are conducted to help identify children with special needs.

MENTAL HEALTH

Once enrolled in Children & Families First’s Head Start/Early Head Start program, you can receive mental health services that support the social-emotional wellness of your family.

 

What types of mental health services do you offer to enrolled families?

  • Mental Health services, provided by Family Solutions, include:
  • Social-emotional screenings
  • On-on-one intervention in the classroom
  • More intense intervention outside the classroom for children exhibiting challenging behavior:
  • Written goal plans
  • Teacher and parent consultation/training
  • In-home intervention
  • Frequent visits to the centers and classrooms to offer suggestions and support to the Center staff
  • Social-emotional screenings
  • On-on-one intervention in the classroom
  • More intense intervention outside the classroom for children exhibiting challenging behavior:
  • Written goal plans
  • Teacher and parent consultation/training
  • In-home intervention
  • Frequent visits to the centers and classrooms to offer suggestions and support to the Center staff

 

In addition, mental health consultants visit our Centers on a monthly basis to monitor classrooms and provide support to center staff on an on-going basis.

How can I discretely ask about mental health services?
Call the Mental Health Services Manager at (336) 369-5067 for help or suggestions for your children or family. All information is held strictly confidential.

Or complete our CONFIDENTIAL online mental health contact form.

Where will I meet with my mental health consultant?
Mental health consultants have on-site office hours at each or our 13 child development centers and can meet with you as needed at a location convenient to you.