Head Start Program

The Community House’s Head Start program serves 163 pre-school aged children and their families by providing a strong foundation in meeting life’s challenges. West Haven Head Start has been licensed by the state of Connecticut and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children for more than 25 years.

Head Start offers full-day full-year programs on a sliding scale fee basis for the children of parents who are working or going to school; Care 4 Kids child care assistance is accepted.

Part-day school programs are also available; there is no fee for these classes.

To request an intake appointment, call 203-934-5221, ext 135 or email your request to headstart@whcommunityhouse.net.

Enrollment is open, as available, to families who:

• Live in West Haven;
• Have a child or children who will be three or four-years-old by January 1 of the coming year;
• Meet Federal income eligibility guidelines; CLICK HERE* for the Head Start Income Guidelines
• Or have child of the required age with special needs.

Children learn through play in a planned curriculum that includes literacy (language, pre-reading and pre-writing skills) art, music, science, and math, sensory and dramatic play. The activities promote healthy development in physical, cognitive, social and emotional areas. The children are offered opportunities every day for individual, small group and large group experiences, both in the classroom and outdoors.

Routine health (hearing, vision) and developmental screenings identify areas that may need further support, assistance or referral. Daily meals and snacks provide healthy nutrition.

Believing parents are the primary person’s in their child’s healthy growth and development, the program offers many opportunities to communicate with, interact with and advocate for parents.  For example, there are educational classes for parents to learn about child development or effective discipline and activities for parents and children to learn and have fun together, thereby strengthening that positive bond. If needed, parents can make use of trained family workers who are familiar with a wide variety of resources in the community. Parents are members of the program’s Policy Council, which makes decisions from budgets to staff hiring.

To request an intake appointment, call 203-934-5221, ext 135 or email your request to headstart@whcommunityhouse.net.

Children benefit most when staff and parents work together to provide positive experiences for children to grow and develop in school, at home, and in our community. The success of Head Start evolves from nurturing strong partnerships with its families.

CLICK HERE for the 2011-2012 Our Lady of Victory Church, Head Start Food Distribution Calendar. 

CLICK HERE for the February 2012 Head Start Calendar. 

*To view the PDF files on this page, you will need Adobe Reader. Click Here to get Adobe Reader.