SIUC Head Start was one of 25 Head Start programs selected to participate in a regional training event, I Am Moving, I Am Learning held September 25-27, 2007 in Rosemont, Illinois. The training introduced strategies and resources to combat childhood obesity among low income and minority families.

The I Am Moving, I Am Learning program was formulated specifically for Head Start in order to fit into the Performance Standards, curricula and classroom routines employed by Head Start programs nationwide. Implementing I Am Moving, I Am Learning strategies will not require programs to invest a lot of additional time or money into health, educational or family services. It is simply a shift in the way programs do things.

The overarching goals of I Am Moving, I Am Learning are to:
Increase the quantity of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity during the daily routine to meet national guidelines for physical activity
Improve the quality of structured movement experiences intentionally facilitated by teachers and adults;
Improve healthy nutrition choices for children everyday.

The training included Head Start programs from the regional five-state area which includes, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota. Each of the 25 selected programs were required to send a team of least five staff from multiple disciplines (i.e. health/nutrition, education and family services).

The training was presented by Dr. Linda Carson, Director of the West Virginia Motor Development Center at West Virginia University, her training team and Amy Requa, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and I Am Moving, I Am Learning Project Coordinator for the Administration of Children and Families (ACF).

SIUC Head Start plans to begin implementing strategies next month starting with the Family Fun Fair events held annually for parents. The events will offer activities and information for parents that will make activity fun.

In October 2007 SIUC Head Start’s Program Director, Cathy Reed and Family & Community Partnerships Coordinator, Shannon Pargin, served on a panel of presenters at the Head Start Region V Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. Other members of the panel were from Minnesota and Michigan. The conference offered sessions on a variety of topics for Head Start parents and staff from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.

The workshop presented by SIUC Head Start, titled Partnerships Count for Fathers and Families, provided participants suggestions to enhance their male and father involvement programs through state and local partnerships.

A special thanks to Nancy Turini for her three years of service on the SIUC Head Start Policy Council. Nancy’s contributions to the Council will be missed. The Policy Council works with management staff and designated university officials to establish program plans and services. The SIUC Head Start Policy Council is made up of Head Start parents and representatives from the community. We would like to extend our gratitude to Nancy for her years of service and dedication to the program.

We extend a warm welcome to Linda Meredith, Superintendent of Carbondale District 95 Schools to the Policy Council. She began her term in November 2007 and is a community representative for Jackson County.

In August 2007, the Illinois Head Start Association Board selected Cathy Reed, Program Director, SIUC Head Start, to serve on the Illinois Early Learning Council Space Capacity Committee.of the subcommittees has representatives from Head Start programs throughout the state.

The charge of the Space Capacity Committee is to increase the space capacity in communities to serve children in high quality preschool classrooms and infant-toddler care and education settings, especially where there are shortages.

The Illinois Early Learning Council was established in 2003. As stated in the description of it’s goals and objectives: “With a membership including top state officials and non-government stakeholders appointed by the Governor, the Early Learning Council is charged with enhancing, coordinating and expanding programs and services for children birth to five statewide.”

Mrs. Reed has also served on the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood since her appointment in 2005 and is currently serving as Secretary.

In June 2007 SIUC Head Start collaborated with Shawnee Health Services, Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department, Jackson County Health Department and SIUC Community Dental Clinic to offer free/low cost health and dental screenings for SIUC Head Start children.

The health clinics were held at Murphysboro Health Center, the Adolescent Health Center and Carterville Family Practice Center. The clinics blocked off those days to provide services to Head Start children exclusively. Appointments were scheduled by Head Start staff during enrollment. 31 of the 36 children who had appointments scheduled had all of their health requirements completed as part of the collaboration.

The dental screenings were held at the Carbondale and Marion Head Start Centers. A SIUC Community Dental Clinic dentist will looked in each child’s mouth and examine the teeth to determine if additional treatment is needed. The dental screenings were open to Head Start children as well as their siblings entering a grade that requires a dental exam for school. A total of 105 children received dental screenings. 76 of the children were Head Start aged, and the other 29 were siblings of the preschool children.

These screenings were an all-around success. They helped parents get needed health checks completed for their children, and they helped Head Start get needed health requirements completed. They also limited the strain on providers at the beginning of the school year.