The Administration for Children's Services partners with the Division of Continuing Education at Bank Street College of Education as one of 74 delegate agencies in New York City to operate two Head Start programs. The original program, Bank Street Head Start, is located on the first and second floors of the Genesis-Robert F. Kennedy Apartments at 113 East 13th Street, a building owned by HELP-USA, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to help those who are homeless and others in need to become and remain self-reliant. Bank Street Head Start empowers and educates low-income families and their children through comprehensive, high quality services. Our newer site, Bank Street Head Start West, is located at 410 West 40th Street in the Metro Baptist Church. The staff at both sites is committed to building long-term relationships and providing a range of individualized support in the areas of early childhood education; medical, dental, and mental health services; nutrition; and social services. Bank Street currently serves 90 children in six preschool classrooms located across both sites.
In Bank Street Head Start's classrooms, young children learn by experimenting and exploring materials and resources. Teachers encourage children to make discoveries and provide them with enough time to "make meaning" of those experiences. Much of the time, children collaborate with each other and share individual experiences, such as discussing a story they have heard or a play experience they have had.
Our philosophy provides for:
Children of all abilities are enrolled in our classrooms. At our program located at 113 East 13th Street, bathrooms, classrooms, and outside play spaces are fully accessible. All children participate fully in the program with the assistance of staff trained to support inclusive educational programming. Bank Street Head Start West, located in an older facility, is unfortunately not fully accessible to children who require wheelchairs. However, teachers in both sites individualize activities to meet each child's physical, emotional, and cognitive needs.
Some children with special needs have been identified prior to enrollment in the Bank Street Head Start program. Some come to us through referrals from other agencies, and others because of a referral from their physician.
Head Start Performance Standards require that all children have a developmental and behavioral screening within 45 days of enrollment. If the results of the screening suggest any concerns about a child's developmental and/or behavioral skills, teachers will pay special attention to these areas in their routine observations. They will also talk with parents if they believe a professional evaluation would be appropriate.
If additional individual services are recommended, children may receive these at Bank Street Head Start or at home. These services might include speech therapy, physical therapy, play therapy, occupational therapy, or the support of a Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT). Service providers communicate regularly with families, teachers, and the Special Needs Coordinator to build on the therapist's work and to ensure that each child receives consistent support.
For children identified as having a special need after they enroll with us, the process of identification includes the initial developmental screening, teacher observations, and educational assessment. Children who have a suspected special need are referred for a professional evaluation by an appropriate provider.
Bank Street Head Start views curriculum as the interaction of children with their total environment, which includes other children, adults, and materials. In light of this definition, parents are involved in their child's educational curriculum from the moment of their child's birth. Bank Street Head Start is thus naturally joined together with parents as partners in their child's growth and development. This partnership allows everyone involved to:
At Bank Street Head Start, children receive breakfast, lunch, and snack every day. All meals are prepared fresh on-site daily in our kitchen. A professional nutritionist supervises the development of the menus and all food activities of the program.
Bank Street Head Start recognizes the importance of providing mental health and psychological services. A mental health professional is available to provide training to staff and parents, and also offers services to children. Upon enrollment, Bank Street Head Start provides each child with free dental and developmental screenings. Through partnerships with local health care providers, Bank Street Head Start is often able to provide each child with a free vision and hearing screening as well. All children must receive a complete medical examination prior to enrollment.