Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Head Start - American Indian Families

Services and programs that prepare low-income families with preschool children (ages 3 - 5) for their transition to public school kindergarten and to support child development, parenting skills and self-sufficiency

Description

Head Start helps families with young children prepare to succeed in life and school. Programs promote children's development through services that support early learning, health, and family well-being. The program helps with early learning, health, nutrition and social services while being responsive to ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.

Services may vary in each local community.

Services may include:

• Center based classroom or Family Child Care experiences for children and their families
• Home-based services provided to individual families
• Socialization experiences
• Leadership, advocacy, and training supports for families
• Coordination with public schools and Early Childhood Special Education

The goal is to deliver services to children and families in core areas of early learning, health, and family well-being while engaging parents as partners as their child's primary teacher.

Local Head Start services are delivered by public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies supported by local, state, and federal funding.

Additional Information

Head Start is held at six sites and the bus runs up to 140 miles round trip. Classes are open 9 months a year.

Features

• Payment
  • Free / no cost to eligible clients

• Specialization
  • Native American Community
  • People with low income

Eligibility

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Poverty Guidelines are used to determine income eligibility for participation in Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

• Children age 3 - 5 who are from families with incomes below the poverty guidelines
• Children in families who are experiencing homelessness
• Families receiving public assistance such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Foster children are eligible regardless of their foster family's income

Local programs may determine additional selection criteria to be responsive to community needs.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Priority is given to families living within the designated service area of the Leech Lake Reservation.

Fee

No cost to participating families