Child Development
ICS's Child Development activities and accomplishments support early learning, as we prepare children for Kindergarten and beyond. One of the highest priorities in our program is to provide the skills necessary for school after leaving our program. To accomplish our goal we provide appropriate materials nurturing environment, training on effective teaching practices, researched based assessments and curricula, individualized instruction and supportive teacher child interactions. We have established school readiness goals that are age and developmentally appropriate.
The OWL and Learn Every Day curriculum used in our program are aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and the Mississippi Early Learning Standards. Our school readiness goals address five central domains for preschoolers:
• Approaches to Learning
• Social and Emotional Development
• Language and Literacy
• Perceptual, Motor and Physical Development
• Cognition
Our trained teachers and specialists are dedicated to providing a high-quality program for our children, families and communities.
School Readiness is foundational across early childhood systems and programs. It means children are ready for school, families are ready to support their children’s learning and schools are ready for children. We understand that preparing children for learning is a collaborative effort, therefore we are partners with local school districts and the early learning community. Within our partnerships, we align our efforts, systems and resources to maximize the benefits for children and families. We recognize that our greatest asset is embracing the family as the cornerstone of our success.
Our staff builds positive, trusting relationships to facilitate their engagement in their children’s development and learning. We respect the parent role as their child’s primary nurturer, teacher and advocate. Our program models and promotes learning and wellness for our children, families, staff and communities.
Please accept this invitation to become part of the great work that we are doing by becoming a volunteer, partner or a Head Start Friend.
ICS HEAD START PERTINENT POSITIVE PARENT POINTS
Why ICS Head Start?
- Looking for Child Care in an educational setting? ICS has you covered.
- Nationally recognized high-quality program! Winner of three National Head Start Awards, and numerous state and regional awards yearly.
- Applications for your child may be started online. Call your local HEAD START CENTER or 662-252-1582 ext. 149 or 104 for Head Start or ext. 140 for Early Head Start (EHS).
- Special needs, chronic medical conditions, and incomplete toilet training are not barriers.
- ICS is in Benton, Clay, DeSoto, Grenada, Lafayette, Lowndes, Marshall, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate & Tunica counties.
- FREE – No TUITION or DAYCARE COSTS!
- Two family style USDA approved healthy meals provided daily. Your child will receive breakfast, lunch and snack at NO COST to you.
- SAFETY FIRST: Safe buses with licensed, trained drivers & Bus Monitors for safety.
- Children ride in safe buses with harnesses, and assigned seats. Buses only transport pre-school age children.
- Not only is the Bus Driver trained & licensed, Bus Monitors help teach the children on boarding and off boarding procedures with Child Safety always put first.
- SAFE ENVIRONMENT for EARLY LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT. Smoke / tobacco free environment. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at centers. Monthly fire / disaster / evacuation drills. Intruder safety procedures. For safety and sanitation, Universal precautions are used. Soil and water tested centers.
- All our centers are firmly constructed. ICS does not use mobile unit classrooms.
- The majority of our centers, sixteen, have been built in this new century.
- PARENT COMMUNICATION is KEY! 99% of the enrolled families say they made progress toward meeting their family goals & needs.
- High quality Early Learning Child Curriculum. Educational credentials of our teachings staff are above the national Head Start average. 99% of the families say teachers listened, respected and supported their family.
- Centers have computer learning experiences for children and Zoom meeting capacity for parents and staff.
- Good health and a safe environment give children a head start at learning. 98% of our parents report that the environment and staff were welcoming and friendly. ICS encourages and assists families with acquiring medical and dental connections for the children.
- When employment opportunities occur, current and former parents are given priority if qualified. ICS is a long-term program starting in 1965 as a two-county program and has now grown to exist in fourteen Mississippi counties.
- ICS operates twenty-two Child Development Centers with twenty-one centers operating Head Start Pre-school classes and eighteen centers with Early Head Start (EHS) programs for Infants & Toddlers. Our Central Office includes another EHS center for a total of nineteen EHS locations.
- ICS partners with many (15 currently) public-school Pre-K partners on classes and MS Dept. of Education (MDE) classes in Tallahatchie, Grenada, Oktibbeha, Lowndes,Tate, Noxubee, and Lafayette counties and two private daycare partners.
- ICS has remarkable achievements in Finance receiving clean audits over and over! A rare accomplishment.
Driven by Data, Parent Input & Continuous Improvement
- 99% of our parents believe that the ICS programs are effective.
- 99% of the families say teachers listened, respected & supported their family.
- 99% reported the teachers “respected & accepted my child as an individual.”
- 99% of our parents say that ICS provides their child a safe and educational place to learn and grow.
- 99% of our parents report they learned the importance of being involved in their child’s education.
- 98% of the ICS parents state that their child benefitted socially and emotionally from the program.
- 99% of our parents expressed feeling more confident at school year end about their parenting skills.
- 98% report that their child’s health habits improved and also improvements for the child’s behavior!
- 97% of the enrolled families report receiving helpful parenting information.
- 94% of the parents believed they were involved and engaged in their child’s learning activities.
- 99% of the families report satisfaction with medical services provided.
- 100% say they are satisfied with dental services.
- 95% say that parent meetings & trainings were “helpful to our family.”
- 96% of the parents were aware of informational trainings/activities provided throughout the school year.
- 99% felt comfortable leaving their child at the Head Start center each day.
- 98% reported that the environment and staff were welcoming and friendly.
- The ICS Parent Gauge program is a scientific research-based monitoring and achievement instrument. In the first year, our Pilot Year, outcome yields show that 98% of the parents responding believed that “ICS has provided activities that help me get my child ready for school.”
- 98% of the Parent Gauge parent responses show a belief that “ICS helped me understand why I need to make sure my child is in class every day.”
- With Parent Gauge, 91% of the parents answering questions report “ICS helped me learn how to speak up for my child’s educational needs.”
- In Early Head Start (EHS), the ICS program average is 97% for parents actively volunteering to participate in parenting sessions on the Parent Curriculum topics, while the national rate is only 43.1%.
- In EHS, 100% of ICS children have been connected with Medical and Dental providers; as well as, being complete or up-to-date on immunizations, and received at least one family social service.
- In EHS 100% of the families and children received Nutrition education, far higher than the national level of 48.5% and the state level of 62.1%.