Head start program building steam

PARIS -- A new report shows that Head Start has a tangible beneficial impact on Maine children, but it may surprise some parents to hear the early ages at which the program can be beneficial.

The report, prepared by the Maine Children's Alliance, demonstrates that intervention at ages two and under can be important to a child's success in kindergarten.

In other words, children do best if they have three years of "education" under their belts-- before kindergarten begins.

Head Start is a federal program that provides a range of services to pre-school children, with 14 Maine locations, including one that falls within Community Concepts of South Paris.

Children who are in the program for at least three years before entering kindergarten "displayed greater rates of kindergarten readiness than children participating in Head Start for two years or less," read the report, which was prepared by the Maine Children's Alliance.

"The early years of a child's life are extremely important because early experiences affect the architecture of the maturing brain," according to the report. "As a child's brain grows, the quality of the architecture establishes either a sturdy or fragile foundation for all of he development and and behavior that follows."

Equally important is the fact that dollars spent on programs like Head Start can pay big dividends later in life.

The program doesn't have the cash to help most of the children who qualify for its services, which experts say can be a "penny-wise, pound-foolish" approach.

Testifying before a national commission on fiscal responsibility and budget reform, Economist James Heckman said that investment in disadvantaged children lowers crime rates, and reduces overall societal costs.

In Maine, 91 percent of Head Start kids are adequately prepared for kindergarten.

"This tells us that quality early childhood programs that use evidence-based practices and focus on the whole child have an impact," said Judy Reidt-Parker, an early childhood specialist at the Maine Children's Alliance.

There are two major divisions within the program. The first, Head Start, focuses on kindergarten readiness skills such as emotional development, language, literacy, math, and science.

The second, Early Head Start, focuses on positive brain development, socials development, and assuring secure attachments.

The program helps income-eligible families, but 70.5 percent of those families are not served, due to a lack of resources.

Head Start employs nearly 1,300 people in Maine.