Bennington County

Head Start & Early Head Start

A woman smiles while holding a young girl on her lap. Another woman smiles and looks on. There is a classroom style room in the background with light colored wood cubbies.

Three preschool age children creat art at a white table. From left ro right: young girl with long dark hair and bangs, young child with wavy blonde hair, and a young boy with short dark hair

We prepare children and their families for school through collaborative approaches to high quality education, health and social services.

Bennington County Head Start/Early Start is a federally funded educational program for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years that has been providing early childhood/pre-k education in Bennington County since 1965. Staffed by caring, qualified professionals, the program specializes in education, school readiness, family engagement, and health and family services.

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Who We Are

Head Start serves children ages 3 to 5, and Early Head Start serves children from 6 weeks to 3 years. Program services are at no cost for eligible families.

Our classrooms provide a rich and educational experience, and the program includes health screenings, healthy meals and snacks, and both structured and unstructured play indoors and outdoors in a safe setting. Children with disabilities are welcome at Bennington County Head Start/Early Head Start. Space is reserved for children with special needs (hearing, speech, vision impairment, emotional or physical challenges).

Bennington County Head Start/Early Head Start is licensed by the State of Vermont, administered by United Children’s Services division of United Counseling Service of Bennington County, and supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

large group of adults smiles in front of a modern building with Spring Center on the awning. Some people are sitting on the grass and those in the back of the photo are standing.

What We Offer

We offer services designed to meet each child’s (and each family’s) specific needs. The program follows the Vermont Early Learning Standards addressing children’s natural love for learning, building social and personal skills, supporting emotional health and building self-esteem.

Head Start provides children with kindergarten readiness activities that help them grow socially, emotionally, and physically. Early Head Start utilizes a play-based model for learning. The program offers children and families a sense of belonging, support services, and a chance to be involved in activities to help your entire family. We believe that a parent is a child’s most important teacher, so we support parents in reaching their own goals and building better lives for themselves and their families.

Two children work on a cooking project in a commercial style kitchen with three adults.

Universal pre-k partnership with supervisory unions serving Bennington County. Children learn skills for school success
A variety of learning experiences, such as art, literacy, music, dance, language, number concepts, field trips, health and safety, nutrition, gardening, swimming, and outdoor play
Parent-teacher conferences and home visits to keep parents informed and share information
Developmental screening and evaluation
Special needs services for children with learning and/or physical disabilities
Head Start operates on a school-year schedule, with summer childcare programming available; Early Head Start operates September through mid-August

Good health fosters growth and learning. Our program is designed to improve your child’s physical development, and identify health problems that could interfere with learning. Health services connect with lifelong health resources.

Hearing, vision, and growth screenings
Physical and emotional developmental assessments
Tooth Tutor and oral health services
Healthy meals and nutrition education
Individualized informational assistance

We believe that a parent is a young child’s most important teacher, and we support parents in reaching their goals and building better lives for themselves and their families. Family Support Workers assist families in finding the information, resources and referrals they need.

Community information and referrals
Childcare financial assistance and referrals
Networking with local agencies to provide assistance with individual family needs
Community outreach activities
Regular home visits

Transportation for our Bennington and North Bennington locations is available for Head Start. Bus seating is limited and an application to determine eligibility is required.
We can help with obtaining transportation for medical appointments.

Parenting classes and workshops on topics such as budgeting, child safety, stress management, healthy cooking and more
Volunteer opportunities on field trips, events, and in the classroom
Family literacy activities
Programs designed especially for dads and other male caregivers/guardians
Opportunities to serve on committees
- Education/Curriculum
- Parent/Center
- Policy Council
- Health Advisory
- Family and Community Partnership

The UCS Infant and Toddler Center provides individualized early care and a safe and nurturing environment for children from six weeks to three-and-a-half years of age.

Eligible participants include children whose families meet the federal low-income guidelines — that is, whose incomes are at or below the federal poverty guidelines or who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program public assistance services. Other eligible participants include children who are in the foster care system or experiencing homelessness. Programs may also accept a limited number of children who do not meet any of those eligibility criteria.

Head Start Policy Council

Policy Council is a parent leadership board that oversees various aspects of the Bennington County Head Start/Early Head Start Program. Topics of discussion include:

Parent Engagement
Parent Center Committee Participation & Planning Events
Review & Approve Program Goals & Objectives
Review & Respond to Children’s Outcomes & School Readiness Goals
Review & Approve Program Enrollment & Selection Criteria
Monitor Program Performance, Ongoing Oversight & the Program’s Self-assessment Review & Approve Policies & Procedures
Review & Approve Grant Budgets
Participate on Program Committees (Education/Curriculum; Health Advisory; Family & Community Partnership; Budget & Fiscal; Nutrition/Menu Planning; Program Strategic Planning & Self-assessment)
Review Program Complaints/Grievances
Participate in the Hiring/Termination Process for the Program Director

Policy Council Members

Katelyn Mason, Chair
Megan Oxendine, Vice Chair
William Baldwin Sr., UCH Board President
Trinity Borden, Park Street Center
Janel Burke, Spring Center
Taylor Gruber, Secretary/Treasurer
Anna Clark, UCS Infant/Toddler Center
Ashley Farrington, Oak Hill Children’s Center
Natasha Lumsden, Pownal Center
Chris Raetz, Spring Center
Stacey Sherman, Spring Center
Anne Smith, Spring Center

For Enrollment and Questions

Head Start
2 Park Street
North Bennington, VT 05257

Phone: (802) 442-3686
Fax: (802) 447-3423

Apply now

Locations

For additional information about any locations call (802) 442-3686

North Bennington Campus
Pownal Center
Spring Center, Bennington
Infant and Toddler Center

Partner Locations

Forever Friends: (802) 447-8843
Oak Hill Children’s Center: (802) 823-7839
Northshire Day School: tel: (802) 362-1395
MPCC Monument: tel: (802) 733-0212

Head Start Reports

Bennington County Head Start and Early Head Start is recognized and accredited for quality programs. To deliver high quality care and enrichment, we carefully plan and evaluate our programs. Here are some of the documents we use to improve quality and meet needs.

Close up of two young children painting a picture of a house against a green landscape

The Parent Handbook provides useful information, including our annual calendar for parents and guardians of children enrolled in Bennington County Head Start.

Download

The school readiness goals were identified in collaboration with the Vermont early childhood community as indicators of school readiness success. The goals can be viewed here.

Download

The purpose of the Self Assessment is to meet Head Start Performance Standard 1305.3- Determining Community Strengths and Needs. The information from this assessment is used to set long and short-term program objectives, determine services most needed, and provide governing bodies with relevant information about the service area.

Download

The purpose of the Community Assessment is to meet Head Start Performance Standard 1305.3- Determining Community Strengths and Needs. The information from this assessment is used to set long and short-term program objectives, determine services most needed, and provide governing bodies with relevant information about the service area.

Download

The annual report outlines the programs and services provided by United Counseling Service, including Head Start/United Children’s Services. You can view the most recent UCH Annual Report here.

View Reports

This document provides information regarding our annual self-assessment, component and administrative systems monitoring, and classroom monitoring.

Download

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Bennington County Head Start is recognized as a 5-STARS program for high quality early childhood education by the Vermont Agency of Human Services, and in addition to federal regulations the program also follows Vermont State Licensing Standards through the Child Development Division (dcf.vermont.gov).

Additional informational websites include the National Head Start Association at www.nhsa.org and the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center at www.eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov.

Head Start® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).