NELC Head Start earns a gold medal
By ROBERT HANKINS EDITOR

North Early Learning Center's Head Start program has earned the highest possible rating from the Head Start Federal Review Board, earning the rating of "Full Compliance" and a gold certificate.

"I like to call ours the best preschool in Texas. This award and rating certainly substantiates that," O. Taylor Collins, West Orange-Cove superintendent, said.

"Preschool is a foundation of schooling and is very important for the betterment of social and educational deficits based in socio-economics some young children bring when entering kindergarten," he said.

The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Head Start conducts an on-site five-day review of Head Start programs once every three years to ensure they are providing "high quality" services based on federal standards.

"The Head Start Program encompasses 18 content areas including education, health and nutrition services, mental health/disabilities, family services, human resources, fiscal management, transportation, as well as planning and governance to name a few. Each content area has multiple federal performance standards that must be met," said school principal and Head Start director Sheila Perry.

The criterion for compliance in all areas is implementation of the standards in a manner that ensures that children and families in our service area are receiving high quality services that meet their unique needs.

"These needs of the children and families are determined annually through the completion of surveys, parent questionnaires and a community assessment. The information that is gathered is used to tailor the program to the needs of the children and families we serve making changes to the program as indicated by the data collected," Perry said.

Full compliance is achieved by only 25 percent of the nation's Head Start programs.

"The validation of 'a job well done' from our federal review team means a lot to us," Perry said.