​​Serving individuals, families and children in Bond, Clinton, Marion and Washington counties since 1967.

​​​BCMW Community Services

BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start is a federally funded, comprehensive child development program which strives to promote a rich, nurturing, learning environment for families of Bond, Clinton, Marion, Washington and Franklin Counties, offering exciting opportunities and ensuring the highest level of services.  We are committed to continuing the proud heritage of serving children and families that has been our trademark since 1965.

BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start has a long tradition of delivering comprehensive and high quality services designed to foster development in low-income children. We are funded for 354 Head Start children ages 3-5 in a five county area and 28 Early Head Start children ages 0-3 and pregnant women in Marion County only.  We provide a range of individualized services in the areas of Education & Early Childhood Development; Early Intervention Services; Medical, Dental & Mental Health; Nutrition; and Parent Engagement. In addition, the entire range of BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start services is responsive and appropriate to each child and family's developmental, ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage and experiences.

Our program must adhere to specific Head Start Program Performance Standards, Regulations (Head Start Act) and DCFS Standards. These requirements define the services that we are to provide to the children and families we serve. They constitute the expectations and requirements that our program must meet. The standards are designed to ensure that goals and objectives are implemented successfully, that the Head Start philosophy continues to thrive, and that we maintain the highest possible quality in the provision of Head Start services.

 PARENT ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start is family centered and designed to support parents/guardians as the most important influence in their child's life. The program strives to meet the needs and interests of the families enrolled through a variety of activities, trainings and educational opportunities.

BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start's comprehensive approach to services is achieved through partnering with area social service agencies, local businesses, clubs, colleges, Pre-K programs, health service providers, community volunteers and public schools. These organizations and agencies have agreements and/or memorandums of understanding with our program.

CHILD OUTCOMES & SCHOOL READINESS

BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start utilizes The Creative Curriculum for the classroom and Growing Great Kids™: Prenatal-36 Months for home base children and families.  The Creative Curriculum is a research-based curriculum for children six weeks to 5 years old based on five components: how children develop and learn; the learning environment; what children learn; the teacher's role and the family's role.  Growing Great Kids™: Prenatal-36 Months focuses on family well-being and provides age-specific materials for home visitors and families that promote child development and parenting practices.  The parenting practices support children's development and learning through play, movement, and active exploration.  

The Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework is utilized to promote positive outcomes for all children birth to five years old. It represents the foundation of the Head Start Approach to School Readiness. It aligns with and builds from the five essential domains of school readiness identified by the National Education Goals Panel and lays out essential areas of learning and development. The Framework is used to guide curriculum implementation and assessment to plan teaching and learning experiences that align to school readiness goals and track children's progress across developmental domains.

BCMW Head Start/Early Head Start, in partnership with the local communities, holds Book Drives throughout January and February to collect new and slightly used books. Events are planned in March (in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday) for distribution of books to children and their families in an effort to promote literacy. Fun games are used during the parent/child activities allowing the children an opportunity to win lots of books to take home. 

For more information please call 618-532-4890 or complete the following form.  Someone will get back with you as soon as possible.  Thank you.