WebJunction

Guides to Resources

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/
  
  This is the agency responsible for the Head Start Program. Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of education, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families.
  The main menu for the Office of Head Start website is listed down the left side and also (with subcategories) in the center of the screen.
   
  • Select from:
     
  • About OHS
    
    
  • Subcategories include Mission, Program Description, Head Start Program Fact Sheets (with statistics on enrollment, funding, accomplishments for each of the last five Fiscal Years), and Reports (last two biennial reports to the U.S. Congress).
     
  • Program Services
    
    
  • Brief (two paragraph) descriptions of the Office's programs on 1) Early Childhood Development and Health and 2) Family and Community Partnerships.
     
  • Legislation & Regulations
    
    
  • Text of Head Start Act and the Head Start Program Performance Standards & Other Regulations (45 CFR Parts 1301-1311)
     
  • Policy & Information
    
    
  • Program Instructions (PIs). Each PI specifies requirement that HS grantees and delegate agencies must implement in their programs from 2003-2007.
    
    
  • Information Memorandums. Each IM is a targeted communication from OHS (2003-2007).
     
  • Research
     
  • Link to the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation research on topics relating to children and families, including Head Start and Early Head Start research. Includes descriptions, links to resources, and in some cases, full texts of accompanying reports.
    
    
  • Bibliographies. Annotated searchable bibliography of Head Start Research from 1965 to 2007.
     
  • Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC)
    
    
  • Areas of interest has subcategories and links to information for parents, early childhood development and health, family and community partnerships, program design and management, professional development, resources, and directories.
    
    
  • Head Start Locator is a database of Head Start programs searchable by address, city, state, program type, or grant number. Results are displayed using Google maps.
    
    
• U.S. Deparment of Education, Early Childhood
  http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/early/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
  
  This site includes information for teachers on early childhood education. The middle column includes a list of Editor's Picks (with an option for viewing all resources) for improving student performance in early childhood.
  
  Among the highlights:
  • Early Childhood Education. Programs, research, evaluations, and publications on early childhood education.
  • What Works: Early Childhood Education. The What Works Clearinghouse reviewed curricula and practices designed for preschool or center-based child care with 3- to 5- year old children.
    • Note: URL has moved: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/early_ed/
  • Early Reading First Program. Aims to ensure that all children enter kindergarten with language, cognitive, and early reading skills needed for success in school.
  • Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program. To improve knowledge and skills of early childhood educators working in communities with high concentrations of children living in poverty.
  • Early Development and Learning National Center. Research and links to resources related to the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children from birth through age eight (including online publications for parents) and links to related organizations.
  • Publications. Link to ED Pubs online ordering system (for free copies of publications on early childhood education by the U.S. Department of Education).
  • Teaching Our Youngest. PDF guide for preschool teachers and child are providers to help children development their language abilities, increase their knowledge, become familiar with books, learn letters and sounds, recognize numbers and learn to count.
  • Good Start, Grow Smart. Information about the Bush Administration's Early Childhood Initiative.
    
    The right column on that same page has information on related topics:
    
    
  • Helping Your Preschool Child. PDF copy (English and Spanish) plus ordering information for paper copies of booklet with activities for children from infancy through age 5.
  • Helping Your Child Become a Reader. PDF copy (English and Spanish) of booklet with activities for children from infancy through age 6. Title page includes ordering information for paper copies of the publication.
• U.S. Department of Education, Readiness for School
  
  http://www.ed.gov/parents/earlychild/ready/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln
  
  This site has information for parents. Among the highlights in the Prepare My Child for School/Readiness for School/Editor's Picks middle column of the screen are:
  • Healthy Start, Grow Smart Series. A series of booklets about caring for babies (newborns through one-year olds). Available in MS Word and PDF in English and Spanish.
  • Helping Your Preschool Child. A booklet that provides parents with activities to help children (infancy through age 5) become better learners and prepare for school. Available in PDF; also a Spanish version. See above for information about ordering paper copies.
  • Organizations That Can Help. A listing of organizations that provide information or assistance related to early childhood education.
  • Teaching Our Youngest. See entry above under Information for Teachers.