Health

A child with a disability can often learn better in a group with non-disabled children.  Among children in Head Start programs, at least ten percent are disabled.  These children play and learn along with the other children.
Children with disabilities receive all Head Start services.  In addition, Head Start staff work with community agencies and school districts to provide extra services to meet the special needs of children with disabilities and their families.

We provide special services to enrolled children with one or more of these conditions:

Blindness and visual impairments	Health impairment
Deafness and hearing impairments	Developmental Delays
Physical disabilities	Serious emotional disturbances
Speech impairment	Specific learning disabilities

We offer these services to children with disabilities:

• Outreach and recruitment
• Coordination with special education programs in their school district
• Diagnostic and referral services
• Treatment and Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) through school districts
• Mainstreaming in a classroom setting
• Health with transition into school district programs

Many kinds of services are available to Head Start children.  In treating cognitive and behavioral needs, the Head Start staff is part of a team that includes a child’s parents, teacher and aide and may also include a Program Nurse, Education Manager, Special Needs Manager, Mental Health Consultant, school district staff members and representatives from other agencies directly concerned with the child’s growth and development.

Head Start Staff may:

• Observe children in the classroom when requested to do so by a teacher and/or parent.
• Consult with the teaching staff about children who have problems with learning or social-emotional development.
• Counsel parents about their children with exceptional educational, social, intellectual or emotional needs.
• Facilitate parent discussions on a variety of issues related to child-rearing.
• Work closely with community agencies to serve children with various needs.
• Supervise the certification of disabled children who require special services.
• Provide staff services as requested on many issues, such as classroom discipline or learning difficulties.