HRDC Head Start has a family day

The District 4 Human Resource Development Council Head Start program held an event Tueday at Lincoln Center for parents of kinds in the program to meet the teachers and ask the faculty any question they may have.

District 4 HRDC's Head Start program is the oldest in Montana and one of the oldest in the country, HRDC Executive Director Carilla French said.

She said that HRDC, the oldest human resources development council in the state, started serving Hill, Liberty and Blaine counties in 1965, providing Head Start low-income housing programs.

HRDC Program Service Director Samantha Clawson said the agency provides a wide span of opportunities for these communities, a "one-stop shop" for low-income families providing assistance with employment, education, housing, energy, weatherization, Head Start and other services.

Head Start provides a safe environment for kids ages from 0- to 5-years-old, Clawson said. She added that Head Start provides healthy meals and snacks for kids as well and helping prepare the kids for kindergarten, such as pre-literacy, pre-math and pre-language classes for children.

All teachers in the program either have associate degrees in early child development or are working toward their degrees, Clawson said.

"The teachers we have are amazing," she added.

The program is also expanding, she said, with two seven-hour classes now available at the HRDC building for ages 3 to 5, one four-hour class at the Hillview Apartments location for ages 0 to 3, and three four-hour classes at the Lincoln Center in Highland Park for ages 0 to 3.

The program is not exclusive to low-income families, but the selection process does look at income and the family environment. It is free for qualifying families.

Clawson added that 12 slots are still available for low-income families.

She said a major goal of the program is helping families, adding that Head Start is big on parental involvement, with many volunteering for field trips or working at the program to be with their kids.

"Parents are the original teachers," Clawson said.

Teachers Jen Graham, who has worked for HRDC Head Start for 22 years, and Michael Hulett, who will be celebrating her 25th year next month, were both parents who had their children in the program before beginning their careers at the HRDC.

"You expect a little and you get so much," Hulett said.

Both of them agreed that family involvement and getting the parents involved in their children's lives is the biggest thing for the program.

"We keep coming back," Graham and Hulett said.

Hulett said the program keeps people bringing their kids back.

She said she taught classes for kids ages 3 and 4 and the class size varies due the age groups, but she loves teaching and seeing how it helps the kids and the families.

Graham, who teaches the 4-year-old kids, said she teaches them a little bit of everything, such as self-help skills, social skills, literacy concepts, math and language.

She said one of her favorite parts about teaching is seeing how the kids' minds worked, adding that the children get excited about certain things and she takes what interests them and makes it a learning experience, such as a rock or tree projects.

"Kids figure out what they like," she said.

The family day also included a dinner for families, who sat at the tables out by the playground to eat. Their kids quickly ate their food so they could run and play on the playground with their friends while their parents watched them and socialized with each other.

Parent Athena Fox said the Head Start program is great and has helped many families in the community. Her son likes going because of the social interaction with the other kids, he is able to see his friends and the teachers at the program are amazing. He even calls them his best friends., she said

HRDC Family Advocate Alisha Gruszie said the program is family-oriented, and it has helped many families over the years.

"It is the perfect head start for children," Gruzie said.