MISSION CONSTANT, PROGRAMS ADVANCED IN HEAD START

For 35 years, East Missouri Action Agency's Head Start program has given Missouri preschoolers exactly what the name implies: a head start on school and life.

Leola Twiggs said she has seen many Head Start success stories during her career. The program's mission has remained constant, and policies and procedures have evolved to meet changing needs of families, she said.

Twiggs has been with the program since the Cape Girardeau site opened in September 1969. She is the site supervisor.

" We are giving them a head start," said Twiggs, a former Head Start teacher. "The experiences that the children get, the socialization they're getting, those two things play a big part in their lives. That, I think, is the biggest benefit we give."

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides health, nutritional, social and educational services to 3- to 5-year-olds for nine months each year. The program targets children from low-income homes, but some families who don't meet income requirements also may participate in Head Start.

Some 600 children from the eight-county region served by East Missouri Action Agency participate in Head Start programs. More than 100 of those students attend half-day sessions in four classrooms at the Cape Girardeau center at 1111 Linden.

Children are allowed to learn on their own at various learning centers. They may choose from art projects, manipulative skills that teach gross- and fine-motor skills, housekeeping and dramatic play, group time, storytelling and music. The center also has a new computer center so children may learn computer skills.

"Our children learn through play," said Twiggs. "Even though they're playing, it's a learning environment."

Head Start began as a center-based program, but students also benefit from home-based services. In the beginning, only morning schedules were available, but as parents found work outside their homes, the program expanded to offer afternoon schedules and a full-day schedule.

"Despite the changes and improvements we have seen, the program has always had a very clear focus," aid Renee Killian, EMAA director of the Head Start program. "We're helping children and parents cope with their total environment so they can look forward to a brighter future."

Family advocates, formerly called social-service workers, are responsible for helping families work through problems that might hinder a child's development. The advocates, along with teachers and classroom assistants, work as a team to help each child and family achieve success, said Twiggs.

"It's changed in the fact that a lot of our workers now already have degrees in early childhood and education, while in the beginning we had to bring in trainers to teach us a lot of the skills," she said. "Nothing's changed in the fact that people care about people. Family advocates still are looking for resources and helping where there is a need."

Staff turnover has been reduced since the program's inception. "There was a time when staff people would have to find another job over the summer because they couldn't draw unemployment while the program was closed," said Twiggs. "Now they can draw unemployment, so we don't have as great a turnover as we did in the past."

One negative change Twiggs has noticed is a decline in parental involvement at the center. Head Start funding requires 20 percent of services to be provided by parents, but it is more difficult for parents to meet that requirement when they are working.

"I understand parents work, but sometimes there are some parents that never have a chance to come to Head Start to see what their children are doing," she said. "We do have monthly parent meetings, and I would like to see more parents who can't come during the day come to those."