SIEDA

SIEDA

Child Development

Kathy Chamra, Director

641-682-8741

Head Start™

Formal studies have demonstrated that children who have attended Head Start ™enter kindergarten “ready to learn” and perform significantly better throughout the school years than their counterparts who did not attend Head Start™

SIEDA Head Start ™ is a preschool experience for low-income and disabled children 3-5 years of age. Head Start™ is a holistic approach to early childhood education that addresses not only the educational needs of the children but also the health, nutrition, social, mental health and literacy needs as well. Multi-cultural classrooms serve children who are unable to speak English or speak English as a secondary language.

Children attend preschool classes four days a week. Meals and snacks are served. In addition to the classroom activities, children and their parents take part in field trips to expose them to educational and cultural activities in their communities.

Formal studies have demonstrated that children who have attended Head Start ™enter kindergarten "ready to learn" and perform significantly better throughout the school years than their counterparts who did not attend Head Start™ Applications for Head Start™ are taken throughout the year.

Why Should Head Start™ Be Your First Choice? No Fees! SIEDA Head Start is a federally funded preschool program, so there is no cost to you!!! Our classes are 4 days a week and available to children ages 3 to 5.Transportation is available in each county. Stops are provided in each county. We offer bi-lingual classroom environments. We work closely with AEA and other special needs preschools to provide individualized services, for children with special needs.

What You Need to Fill Out an Application:

Child’s birth verification (Birth Certificate, Title 19 #/Medical Card, Hospital Certificate, or Passport).

Proof of income for at least 12 previous months (copy of pay stub, taxes, W-2, letter from employer, FIP, or other form of verification).

Birthdates and/or Social Security numbers for all family members in the house.

For more information on enrollment contact Deb Long, Facilities & Transportation Coordinator, at 1-800-622-8340 ext. 268 or contact your local county SIEDA Head Start Center.

SIEDA Head Start serves Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren & Wapello counties.

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Parents As Teachers (PAT)

Parents As Teachers (PAT) is an in-home visitation program prenatally and for families with newborns through entry into kindergarten. The program provides parents with information on child development from birth to age 5 and suggests learning opportunities that encourage the development of language, intellect, and physical and social skill.

Parents As Teachers involves 4 components:

	Personal Visits: Personalized home visits by certified parent educators help parents understand what to expect in each state of their child’s development. The parent educations offer practical tips and activities on ways to encourage school readiness, early literacy, manage challenging behavior, and promote strong parent-child relationships. The program teaches parents simple techniques, based on scientific research that will stimulate the brain development of their child.
	Group Meetings: Parents get together monthly to gain new insights and to share their experiences, common concerns and successes. Group meeting also provide families the opportunity to participate in parent-child activities.
	Screening: PAT offers periodic screening of overall development as well as health, safety, language, hearing, vision and dental screening. The goal is to provide early detection of potential problems to prevent difficulties later in school.
	Resource Network: Families can access other early childhood services integrated with the PAT program as well as get assistance in linking/referring families to community services that are beyond the scope of PAT.

The Parents As Teachers program is based on the national curriculum of the National Center for Parents As Teachers in St. Louis. All home visitors have attended training at the National Center and are certified PAT Educators.

There are no income guidelines for participation in the Parents As Teachers program.

The PAT program is available in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska & Wapello counties.

For further information contact SIEDA PAT at (641) 682-8741 or 1-800-622-8340

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Parents As Teachers for Child Care Providers

The Parents As Teachers National Center recognized the need to provide support and training for the child care system and developed a new training tract, " Supporting Care Providers Through Personal Visits”. Through this program PAT could be assimilated into the child care setting by having the PAT Child Care Educators conduct personal visits with the providers in much the same fashion that PAT conducts personal visits with individual families.

As part of the " Supporting Care Providers Through Personal Visits” the Educators meet with the child care provider on a monthly basis, in much the same manner as the home based program. A standard curriculum is followed that provides information, activities, and parent handouts for the providers that allows them to increase their knowledge of child development and stimulate the development of the children in their care. The PAT curriculum for care providers strongly encourages the sharing of information with parents and the involvement of parents in activities for the child. Attachment B outlines the content of a typical PAT provider visit.

By participating in the PAT program, the provider can earn up to 6 hours of in-home training required for DHS licensure. The program will also arrange group training for providers using PAT Educators and other community experts. The Educators will link home providers and child care centers, preschools with local resources that will improve the quality of their business practices.

There are no income guidelines for participation in the Parents As Teachers program.

The PAT for Child Care Providers program is available in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska & Wapello counties.

For further information contact SIEDA PAT at (641) 682-8741 or 1-800-622-8340

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Adult Literacy Advocacy

Parents of children enrolled in the Head Start program who cannot read or read at a lower grade level are provided assistance in attending literacy courses. The Adult Literacy Coordinators work with parents who are unable to read, who read at a low grade level or who have failed to complete their high school education. The Coordinators, each with a teaching degree and reading endorsement, provide individual tutoring in the home for the parents. For those parents lacking a high school degree, the Coordinators work individually with the parent until the parent has reached a level where they are comfortable transferring to the GED classes conducted by the local community college.

Parents are encouraged to continue their education beyond high school. To support the parents, the Coordinators accompany the parents to the college campus, provide tours of the campus and assist the parent in completing the college application and applications\ for scholarships.

The ability of a family to access services rests heavily on their ability to provide their own transportation in rural areas. The program has re-written the Driver’s License Manual for a 3^rd grade level to assist parents in studying for the Driver’s License Test.

The program serves Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren & Wapello counties.

For further information contact SIEDA Adult Literacy at (641) 682-8741 or 1-800-622-8340.

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Parenting Workshops

A family-friendly, three-session Parenting Skills Workshop is offered in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren & Wapello counties. The Workshops are open to all parents and extended family members within the area. Local court systems and the local Department of Human Services routinely refer high-risk families to the Workshop as an intervention strategy in preventing potential abuse or neglect.

Workshop Curriculum

SESSION #1

Positive Discipline & Guidance

Parenting Skills Survey

Why Children Misbehave

Setting Rules And Boundaries

Behavior Consequences

Using Logical Consequences

Time-Outs

Positive Guidance Techniques

Coping with Kids

SESSION #2

Anger & Stress Management

What Is Stress?

Stress Management

What is Anger?

Ways To Positively Express Anger

Children And Anger

SESSION #3:

Spending Quality Time With Your Child

What Is Quality Time?

Spending Enough Quality Time With Your Child

Barriers To Spending Quality Time

Taming The TV

Say "Yes" To Family Meals

Parent/Child Activities

Too Much TV

There are no fees or income guidelines for participation in the Parenting Skills Workshops.

Parenting Workshops are available in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren & Wapello counties.

For further information contact SIEDA Head Start™ at (641) 682-8741 or 1-800-622-8340.

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Child and Adult Care Food Program

SIEDA operates the Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) in the area. Registered child care providers are eligible to enroll in the program. Day Care Providers are provided with nutrition education and submit monthly menus to assure that meals and snacks follow standard nutrition guidelines. Providers also plan nutrition act ivies for the children in their care, which helps prepare young children to make healthy food choices for the rest of their lives. Providers are provided with partial reimbursement for the cost of the meals and snacks as a result of participating in the program.

The program is available in Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Marion, Van Buren & Wapello counties.

For further information contact SIEDA Child and Adult Care Food Program at (641) 682-8741 or 1-800-622-8340.

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