Check here for Announcements about Closings and Delays
of Washington County, Inc
City of Hagerstown State of Maryland
ABOUT US
Our Program at Head Start of Washington County is committed to providing quality services for your child and his/her total family.
Early Head Start serves pregnant women and children from birth to age three.
Head Start Preschool serves children ages three to five years.
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Early Head Start children may qualify to transition into the Head Start Preschool or another Pre-K Program. Head Start of Washington County, Inc. is an MSDE-certified and OCC-licensed program.
To be eligible for the program, families must reside in Washington County, Maryland, and meet Head Start Income Guidelines. Those receiving public financial assistance, SNAP, TCA, or SSI are automatically eligible. Children are not required to be potty trained in our program.
Head Start of Washington County will continue to fulfill its mission of providing children with nurturing experiences, a strong foundation for developmental growth, and opportunities to achieve school readiness.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Head Start of Washington County, Inc. is dedicated to making a difference in our community through comprehensive child and family development services. Our mission is to provide all children with diverse, nurturing experiences, a strong foundation for developmental growth and opportunities to achieve school readiness. We strive to understand and empower families to take an active role in their child’s development and to reach their full potential.
A Brief History of Head Start Program
In 1964, the Federal Government asked a panel of child development experts to draw up a program to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. The panel report became the blueprint for Project Head Start.
Project Head Start, launched as an eight-week summer program by the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1965, was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children of low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. Recruiting children aged three to school entry age, Head Start was enthusiastically received by education and child development specialists, community leaders, and parents across the Nation.
In 1969, Head Start was transferred from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Office of Child Development in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and has now become a program within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services. Head Start has had a strong impact on communities and early childhood programs across the country and around the world. Head Start has been innovative and has made dramatic changes in the delivery of services to children and families.
Washington County's Head Start Program has been operating under several different entities, throughout the years until it became incorporated. In the year 2001, we began using the name Head Start of Washington County, Inc .
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