NeighborImpact fanning out Friday to fill Head Start slots
About 300 new students are needed to fill NeighborImpact’s Head Start classrooms next fall. To highlight the free preschool and get information out to families, Head Start staff will visit local communities this Friday as part of the annual Application Station Day event.
“Our goal is to get out in the communities and talk with families one-on-one about the benefits of Head Start and help parents with the application process,” explains Patty Wilson, deputy director of early care and education for NeighborImpact.
Application Station Day allows families to interact directly with Head Start staff in a more personal basis instead of having to call a number or find information online. The event takes place from 9am-4pm this Friday at various locations in Bend, Redmond, and Prineville.
Application Stations (Grocery Stores):
Bend Food 4 Less
La Pine Ray’s Food Place Redmond Wal-Mart Prineville Ray’s Food Place
Application Stations (Head Start Classrooms):
East Bend Campus (Deschutes Children’s Foundation) – 2125 NW Daggett Lane, Bend
Beck Johnson Center – 412 SW 8 th Street, Redmond
Crook County Health Department (WIC Office) – 375 NW Beaver Street, Suite 100, Prineville
Last year, NeighborImpact served 505 children in 23 classrooms in Deschutes and Crook counties. There are eligibility requirements for Head Start. Priority is given to children who are homeless, identified special needs, foster children and children who have suffered from abuse, neglect and early childhood trauma.
Recruitment efforts are underway now and will finish up June 1 st . Kim Snow, associate director of education and quality encourages all families interested in Head Start to apply even if they fall just outside eligibility requirements.
“We are required to have a number of students on the waiting listm so it’s important that anyone interested apply because there’s always the possibility a slot could open up during the year,” said Snow.
To qualify, children must live in Deschutes or Crook counties and be 3 or 4 years old on September 1, 2015. Applications and information regarding eligibility documentation is available for download at www.neighborimpact.org. Families can also call (541) 323-6527 to have an application mailed.
