The $2 Sale that took place this October was a great success! For the past two sales this year, there was a new addition to the $2 Sale shopping experience: handcrafted greeting cards made by children at the Head Start McGriff Street Center. The front of each card displays beautifully painted artwork by Head Start children and they are blank on the inside. So they are great for any occasion! Proceeds from the sale help fund the Head Start Arts Program that focuses on music, dance, reading, and art education.

For those of you that missed out on buying these one-of-a-kind cards, they will be for sale this Friday at the Northwest Florida Arts Association during their “In Your Dreams” Art Show. The Northwest Florida Arts Association is a non-profit organization with the goal of bringing a fresh venue for the artists of Northwest Florida to network, collaborate, teach, and exhibit their work. They hope to enrich our community by providing opportunities for creative and personal growth to artists in all media types and strive to educate the public regarding art in all of its forms as well as encourage the public to join in on classes, demonstrations, workshops, and lectures on a variety of art topics.

The Northwest Florida Arts Association is located at 196 Miracle Strip Parkway, behind Fokker’s Restaurant in downtown Fort Walton Beach. The Head Start greeting cards will be for sale on November 18th from 6pm-8pm. There are only a limited number of them for sale and each one is unique. Come out to buy these amazing cards and help support the education of these young artists.

To learn more about the Northwest Florida Arts Association, visit: http://www.nwflaa.com

Be sure to make it out to our Fall $2 Sale!

Okaloosa County Comprehensive Head Start is proud to be taking part in the Homeless Community Deliberation Series of meetings that shed light on the issue of homelessness in Okaloosa County. This series of meetings will be held at the Emerald Coast Conference Center and began on September 15. The first follow up meeting was held on Friday, September 23 with other meetings to come soon.

“The Fort Walton Beach Chamber is delighted to have this opportunity to bring together all the interested parties as we work toward ending homelessness in Okaloosa County.  This is an issue that affects everyone in our county, and the forum’s goal is to engage our entire community in working together to solve the issue,” said Lisa Jo Spencer, the Chamber’s Board Chair for 2011.  “We hope that the direct result of the forum will be to create a community-wide homeless task force that can monitor any future progress. Our Chamber will facilitate this first meeting, but then will remove itself from any leadership capacity to allow the community task force to take the lead.”

Okaloosa County Head Start will continue to be an active participant as we strive to help at risk and homeless children of our area. To find out more information, visit fwbchamber.com.

It is the beginning of the school year and all of Okaloosa County is prepared to welcome all students, new and old alike. We know that it can be a time filled with anxiety for both you and your child, especially if it is their first year. But that anxiety can turn into excitement and joy with just a few simple steps.

It is key to keep a positive attitude about your child’s education. If your child is scared or nervous about their first few days of school, don’t just say, “don’t be afraid,” or “everything will be just fine.” Try and point out the positive experiences of their day and even offer to visit classroom.

When your child is at home, it’s always a good idea to set aside a specific place for them to do their homework. This way, it will make it easier for your child to develop a routine of finishing their work in a timely manner. All good character traits start as habits, and finishing and turning in homework is certainly one you want to encourage your child to develop!

Also, as the year progresses, it’s very important to work out any differences with your child’s teachers and other caregivers. Adults do not necessarily have to see eye to eye on every subject and that is fine. But when you speak disrespectfully about your child’s teacher in front of them, it gives your child the impression that they can be disrespectful in turn.

One final piece of advice – drive safe! As you are worried about your child’s safety and well being, remember there are other parents who feel the same. Pay close attention in school zones, around the school bus, and at crosswalks.

With any new endeavor, one can be overwhelmed with the challenges they face. A new school year is no different. If you and your child take it day by day, it is sure to be a success.

News Flash: Okaloosa County Schools Head Start is having a $2 SALE!

It’s that time of year again. We have received our new collection of amazing pieces and we can’t wait to share them with you! This resale clothing event involves approximately 5000 square feet of name brand fashions. And the best part is… all items are just $2!

Come down and support child development in Fort Walton Beach and the surrounding areas. All proceeds benefit the Okaloosa County Schools Head Start Programs.

Where: Unit 247 Paradise Point Shopping Center in Fort Walton Beach (Corner of Highway 98 and Perry Ave. – just before the Brooks bridge)

When:

• Friday May 20th (3pm – 7pm) $5 Entrance Fee
• Saturday May 21 (9am – 4pm) $5 Entrance Fee
• Sunday May 22 (9am – 4pm) $2 Entrance Fee

No Men * No Babies or Children * No Food or Drink * Cash ONLY!

Tell everyone you know and have them tell everyone they know!  We look forward to seeing you there!

Hello everyone!

One of our volunteers, Sandee Baughman, wrote a short article on “Reading at Head Start”.  Read what she wrote below, we hope it encourages, inspires, and if you are looking for a child development program for your child(ren) than we hope it gives you a picture of what we do.

Reading at Head Start

“Reading at Head Start is focusing on sound and letter recognition.

This phonetic approach enables the children to develop the skills to blend the letter sounds into words.

These words can then be constructed into meaningful sentences which they can read and discuss.

This type of literacy enrichment sets the stage for all future reading endeavors.

The joy of reading is one of the pleasures of life and the means by which all dreams and aspirations can come to life!

Personally speaking, nothing fulfills me more than to see child embrace learning and the love of reading.”

Our very own Jessica Smith, a parent of the head Start program, was recently featured in the Crestview bulletin regarding the artistic talent she uses to help brighten the days of the residents of the Crestview Manor.  According to the article,

“Smith, who graduated from Northwest Florida State College last week with an Associates degree in graphic design, has donated her spare time in the dining room for the past month, working around college courses, a job and care of her 4-year-old son.

Smith, who kept up a running banter with dining room visitors, laughed as she deftly worked her artist’s brush on the rural country scene.

‘I’m from New Jersey,’ Smith said with a laugh. ‘What do I know about farms, chickens and pigs?’

Smith isn’t getting paid for the work and said her reward is the feedback from residents who said the mural, which will span a full wall when done, brightens their day.”

Click here to take a look at the history of Okaloosa Head Start as well as follow a link to the full article about Jessica!

After the regularly scheduled Okaloosa County Head Start Policy Council Meeting Tuesday morning the Policy Council Members had decided they wanted to do a little community service.  Armed with plastic gloves and trash bags, they cleaned up the beach area around the Boardwalk.  We appreciate all of our council members and their desire to help around the Fort Walton Beach and greater Okaloosa County community.  Thanks so much!

Take a look at the pictures below!

Hello everyone!

We wanted to let you all know that we recently added the VPK Applications (spanish and english) for the 2010-2011 year to the forms page on our Web site.  If you would like to enroll your child for next year into our development program, visit the link below and click on the link for the application.  The application pertains to our Crestview, Niceville, and Fort Walton Beach locations.  Please fill out the form and return it to us as soon as possible, you can mail it to the address below or take it in to us by hand, we would love to see our potential parents and children!

Okaloosa County Head Start forms page

Okaloosa County Head Start

60 Second Street, Suite 401

Shalimar, FL 32579-1649

850.651.0645

At the core of every child is the deep longing to please the parents. With this desire comes major disappointment when disobedience or the parents’ standards are not met. As a result, it is absolutely crucial to develop a “reward system” for your child in order that they may be encouraged and affirmed in practicing good behavior.

Here are some tips on how to go about rewarding your child for their good deeds:

Our goal is summed up in the traditional proverbial saying that states:

1) Establish the reward system. As mentioned above and as most parents can see, children love to RECEIVE something in return for their obedience. You can use a money system or a “goods” system (rewarding with toys, dolls, baseball cards, etc.). Whatever it may be, it should be tailored to each child so they are truly excited for what they receive.

2) Be clear about what the rewards are for. An easy way to make sure your kids understand what they are working for is by putting the tasks or behaviors on a chart (blackboard, whiteboard, paper on the fridge). Here are a few common ones: brushing their teeth, cleaning up after themselves, sitting on the potty—whatever good behavior you want to encourage. Also, using pictures for young children can be helpful and fun.

…CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE TIPS!

For the best in Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Niceville, Shalimar, and Laurel Hill give Okaloosa Head Start a call today!

…CLICK HERE TO FIND THE NEAREST SCHOOL TO YOU!