Caroline County Early Head Start

The center that I am going to is the Caroline County Family Support Center. Their
schedule is a little different than most centers. This program runs on half day programs. The
children arrive in the morning, the parent signs them in, washes their hands, and usually a parent
and child activity is done. After this the children are told good bye by the parents until later in the
day. The children then are able to play in centers for a while. There is outside time, and centers
throughout their day. Usually there is a theme that the teacher then incorporates books and
activities in to the day. The parents come and get the children and they then eat lunch in the
center before leaving for the day. The goals of the program are listed in the parent handbook. The
first goal is to promote the optimal development of young children through the provision of
parent/child activities and a wide range of child development services. The next goal is to assist
parents to develop more effective parenting skills and fulfill their aims related to school,
employment and family life. The last goals are to provide supportive networks among parents in
local communities and connect families to e agencies and community resources that can help
them.
To enroll in this program a referral by the participant done by calling or walking in, or an outside
agency such as the department of social services has to be done. There is then a selection criteria
form that is used to determine where the participant ranks amongst other applicants. After the
ranking is done another application is done where questions about your family and especially
your children that are between zero and three years old. The family advocate will obtain proof of
income to insure you are in the income guidelines. After this information is collected the family
is considered accepted. The family then fills out PROMIS forms. These forms include the
familys strengths, as well as goals that the family wants to work on. All of the children that are
zero to three years old that are enrolled will need to fill out a medical form and immunization
record form. Through this process the participant will also sign an informed consent, participant
confidentiality statement, consent for release, media release, and childcare administration forms.
The last step is setting up the family partnership agreement, which are renewed every three
months.
The fire drill plan is straight forward. If the fire alarm is not already pulled, do so. All of the staff
is then supposed to assist the children out of the room through the back door and in to the

playground. The emergency crib is to be pushed out as well. If the back door is not accessible
you are to use the hallway exit to the front of the building and proceed to the playground. The
first teacher out is to grab the attendance sheet and make sure all children are accounted for. The
last teacher in the room is to turn off the lights and close all the doors.
If an injury occurs in the center the staff will apply ice, wash abrasions, and inform the parent
when the parent arrives back in the room. If it involves a sting or additional medical attention is
needed, the parent will be notified immediately. The centers available are the dramatic play,
science reading area, large motor area, blocks, art, sand/water table, music, and manipulatives.
The centers are not assigned to the children. They have the opportunity to explore the centers on
their own. When the children are done playing with one center they clean up and go on to a
different one. There are many multicultural things present in the classroom. Baby dolls is the
most obvious one but there are also books available. There are posters that show people of
different races and backgrounds, as well. The teacher has pictures of the families in the
classroom in the center. The items in the classroom try to relate directly to the children. Special
needs children are intertwined in to the program as any other child. They are treated as equal and
expected to do as every other child with help and special consideration on activities. The room is
set-up to accessible to all. Curriculum themes are done each week and are posted on the bulletin
board that is located on the right side of the room when you walk in.
The caregivers approach to the children is always positive and nonjudgmental. Most of the
children are of low income or have a disability of some sort. The teachers nurture the children
and enable them to learn in an atmosphere that is the least restrictive as possible. When the
children enter, they are greeted by the staff. From the beginning of their time together the teacher
works on building a relationship with the children, as well as the parents. This program is a
federally funded program thats is up to the most stiffened standards. Parent involvement is key
to the success of this program. The parents get to be involved in important aspects of the
program such as hiring and firing process. From the beginning interviews to the agreement upon
a prospective applicant for hire in the policy committee, the parents involvement is extremely
necessary in the center. When a parent volunteers in the program or does the parent and child
activity, this is recorded and counts as in-kind, which helps off set the amount the program has to
match to the federal government. While at the center the parents can get, if not had already, their

GED and take classes, take ESL classes, there are parenting classes and many other programs
that are available to help parents succeed. This program benefits many people for the services it
provides.