In response to my second bibliography, Jeremy pointed out that I could focus on why some parents are not aware of the services that Head Start provides. He also asked how more people could be reached. Because of this, I am torn between the hours of research I have already put in towards play based learning and investigating the questions regarding why more families of special needs children are not accessing services though Head Start. My experiences in this subject matter could help a vast amount of special needs children and their families find the services that are needed.
Play-based learning is a powerful tool in education it is the framework of how children learn. Research has proven this. Children are becoming obese often by the time they enter first grade. They are required to sit in the same place for six hours. Then they go home to sit in front of a television set or a computer.
Children's health and well being is at risk. It is in every child's nature to play. Play is natural. Every young child plays from the time that they are six months old. In nature baby animals play and explore. This is the way the young learn best. Many children learn this way but for many special needs children it is important to have this type of play-based learning in their curriculum.
I feel I must advocate for special needs children. Many impoverished children also have severe disabilities. They also require educational services that Head Start provides. I realize too, that Head Start may require more funding to adequately serve more children with severe disabilities. Teachers may need more training also. The Public School System takes care of severely disabled students. One teacher and two or three aids for a small classroom of special needs children. Then the children will be taken to a normal classroom for a specified period of time, then return to the special needs classroom. Maybe if Head Start had this type of support like qualified teachers, trained to teach special needs children and aids to assist, Head Start would be more suited to help severely disabled children.
It has been stated that Head Start's mission is to help impoverished families out of poverty, by encouraging them to better themselves. Head Start provides medical, dental, family education, emotional support. My thought is that, disabled children are born into every class from poor to rich. But mostly, special needs children are born in poor families because of their circumstances, poor living conditions, limited health care, teen parents, sometimes parents doing drugs while pregnant with babies or while the children are around. Disabled children need these services too. I want to help these children because most of them do not have a voice. Most of them would not know how to ask for help. They probably do not know who to ask.
I also have to look at it from Head Starts view. Head Start has limited resources. Head Start probably wants to help if they could, but is unable to because of lack of resources. Perhaps the next logical step is funding. Head Start is funded primarily though the federal government.
Why would the federal government pass legislation that Head Start was already following, if in fact Head Start already had enough special needs children enrolled? Why would the federal government pass a requirement that would be impossible for Head Start to meet with current funding in place without increasing it? If the government wanted more numbers of severely disabled children enrolled, then why was legislation worded very broadly as to classify existing students in the program as disabled? Did the federal government just pass this legislation without a thought as to what would happen if the numbers of disabled children went up and the amount of people in poverty were also went up? These are some of the many questions I ask myself as I go to work and live my life. I work with special needs children. I have worked with special needs and high risk children for several years. I have volunteered in special needs classrooms. And last, but certainly not least, I have a disabled child. My child did not go to Head Start. I do not believe Head Start provided services to disabled children when my child was small. Yes, we would have qualified for services monetarily. I believe with the increased funding Head Start could print new brochures, improve the web site and create more advertising. They could also educate the existing teachers, hire more special needs teachers and hire more teachers aids.
All of this has come to a crescent shape closing in on a circle. Perhaps I shall find the missing side of the circle.
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