Devoted team gives children a Head Start

INVERNESS -- The bright yellow school bus painted on the front door of Carter Street Head Start acts as a cheery invitation for young children becoming familiar with classrooms and teachers.

"It's a school," said parent volunteer and school bus driver Kelley Arnold. "It's not a day care. It does have its own daily curriculum."

Head Start is a federally funded program that serves low-income families and prepares children for kindergarten.

"The federal funding provides food and educational materials," said parent Karen Null. Head Start is also partly funded by grants and the United Way, Arnold and Null explained.

Parents help with field trips and materials for special projects.

"We're a family participation program," Null said. "We're trying to get parents to interact with the children."

This Head Start facility has four teachers. Two are called lead teachers and have early childhood licenses. The others assist.

The program tries to identify developmental disabilities in children so they can be dealt with early, giving the child a better chance to succeed.

Marsha Cory, an early intervention monitor with Childhood Development Services, is available to help the teachers with children who may have behavior issues or other special needs. She doesn't restrict herself to that, though.

"We're a team and we help out wherever we can," she said. Dee Johnson can also be found around the school working with children. She is part of Volunteers in Service to America.

"I'm here to help transition the 5-year-olds into kindergarten," Johnson said. "I supply readers to all classrooms, and I teach phonics in all the classrooms."

Besides reading, the curriculum includes math, science, social studies, living skills, listening skills, memory and hygiene.

"We're a pretty busy place," Null said.

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