Head Start, a non-profit organization designed to prepare Bridgeport children for kindergarten, is in the process of recruiting volunteers for the 2003-2004 school year. It is essential that the program secure at least 100 additional volunteers in order to sufficiently provide the attention to the 800 children enlisted in the program.
According to Dr. Judy Primavera, psychology professor at the university and one of the program’s coordinators, Head Start usually sends over 200 Fairfield University students in Action for Bridgeport Community Development (ABCD) classrooms to enhance the children’s language skills.
“We also run parent literacy workshops where we teach parents how to more effectively share books with their children [since reading daily to preschoolers is one of the best predictors of early school success],” said Primavera.
Head Start is in dire need of support not only to provide the children with mentors, but government funding depends on maintaining a certain level of volunteer involvement.
Although Primavera’s primary concern is giving the children as much individual attention as possible, she says that without the proper funding, the program cannot function properly.
For most of the university, preschool was an assumed stage of development; it was a banality that was taken for granted.
Another impediment to Head Start’s success is the concern over whether President Bush’s administration will change control over the program from the federal level to independent states. Right now, the federal government mandates exactly how the program functions and has done so since the 1960’s. If each state’s Department of Education gains control, they will have the ability to alter the game plan as they see fit.
The Head Start Program Information Report for 2002 hypothesizes that, “Head Start has 40 years of research proving its effectiveness and why the Bush administration wants to change it is beyond me,” said Primavera. “The old adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ surely applies.” The National Head Start Association reports that the program has helped over 20 million nation wide at risk children since 1965.
The dramatic drop in student volunteers is partly due to the fact that Dr. Primavera is not teaching a developmental psychology course. In the past, Primavera required her students to work at Head Start to enrich their learning experiences by actively observing and participating in the development of preschool aged children.
“I think it’s a shame that there is a lack of volunteers. Students usually continue to help out even after putting in the required hours for class,” said three year volunteer, Erin Reeves, ’04. “I loved the experience.”
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