Parent Involvement

As a parent, you are responsible to take an active part in the program. One of the purposes of parent involvement is to develop a program(s) responsive to the needs of the children and their families. The staff needs your help to provide the many services to you and your child. We need volunteers daily to assist in every part of the program.

Parent involvement is voluntary. One of the ways you can do this is to volunteer in the classroom. This helps the teachers, but you will also learn more about your child and have a wonderful experience working with the children. We realize that your time is precious and you may not always have time in your busy schedule, but there are many ways to help out or volunteer in the classroom or with socializations. Parents can help with curriculum planning, field trips, interviewing prospective Head Start employees, budget committees and more. Talk to your child’s teacher or family educator for ideas. Parents also have opportunities to volunteer by serving on Policy Council or as officers of the Parent Committees.

Parent Committees
All parents or guardians of currently enrolled Head Start children are members of the parent committee. Parent Committee activities/meetings are held once a month and parents and guardians help to plan these activities. The activities are for the entire family. Parent committees will elect officers to help run the committees as well as Policy Council representatives to represent each parent committee at Policy Council meetings. The Family Advocate will facilitate the Parent Committee.

Policy Council
The Policy Council is made up of parents or guardians elected from each of the Parent Committees. Community members may also be elected to the group. The function of the Policy Council is to approve or disapprove: hiring of new staff, policies or procedures, grants and budgets, and setting goals and evaluating the program annually.

Parent Lounge/Library
There is a parent lounge and library in the Logan Center. Parents are welcome to use the lounge at any time during office hours ( 8:00 – 5:00). Contact your Family Advocate if you would like to review the many resources in the family development library