Iowa Community Action Association - Head Start
Iowa Community Action Association - Head Start
Northeast Iowa Community Action Corp Operation: New View Community Action Agency Operation Threshold North Iowa Community Action Organization Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. Mid-Sioux Opportunity Community Action Agency of Siouxland West Central Community Action New Opportunities, Inc. MATURA Action Corporation South Central Iowa Community Action Program Des Moines Community Action Agency Red Rock Area Community Action Program Mid-Iowa Community Action Hawkeye Area Community Action Program Community Action of Eastern Iowa Community Action of Southeast Iowa Southern Iowa Economic Development Association


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Head Start

Head Start

The Early Childhood Programs include Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Development At-Risk funding.

Head Start programs operate in centers and public schools in all five southern rural counties, with a variety of program options. Head Start, administered by South Central Iowa Community Action Program (SCICAP), has been in operation since 1966. We are fully collaborating in four school districts with the four-year-old state initiative pre-school program. The school districts have agreed to follow Head Start Performance Standards, which the Department of Education recognizes as a sign of quality and exemplary programs. Currently we are partially collaborating with another school district and hope to soon have a full collaboration with two other school districts. We have two full day State Shared Visions programs in two counties operating year round. Eight centers/schools serve their communities by providing nutritious breakfast and lunches, health screenings; age appropriate classroom activities, social services and parent involvement opportunities to each of the 212 children enrolled and their families. All centers/schools are using the research based Creative Curriculum by Diane Trister Dodge. The Creative Curriculum provides developmentally appropriate practices, which provide children with opportunities to learn and practice newly acquired skills. In three counties State Wrap-Around funds allow us to provide extended hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to assist families with working members or those needing to fulfill schooling and training obligations.


Early Head Start

South Central Iowa Community Action Programs (SCICAP) operates an Early Childhood Center in Decatur County in addition to home-based services.

Our Early Childhood Center has an infant room serving four infants and a toddler room serving eight toddlers. The center uses the research based Creative Curriculum to be consistent with our Head Start Programs.

We provide a home-based program in two counties, using the Parents As Teachers (PAT) curriculum. We serve a total of 36 participants in our two counties. The home-based program serves pregnant women and children from birth to three years of age. The ASQ and ASQ-SE are used for screening tools. South Central Iowa Action Programs (SCICAP) Head Start hopes to bring this program to our other three counties as funding opportunities arise.
 

Head Start Director:
Nancy Schnurr
641-774-8133, ext. 236

nschnurr@scicap.org