Head Start and Early Head Start

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
703-324-8290 TTY 711
Pennino Building, 12011 Government Center Parkway, 9th Floor
Fairfax, VA 22035
Janet Stewart

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Wellness

As physical well-being contributes to a child’s readiness for school, Fairfax County Head Start and Early Head Start programs place a strong emphasis on the overall health and well-being of the children served. Programs acknowledge the importance of monitoring children's health needs and ensuring that children enrolled in our programs have an ongoing source of continuous health and dental care. Program staff collect physical and dental health data and provide services to families based on the data collected. Program staff also assess data for special dietary needs, such as food allergies, medical diagnosis (with or without need for accommodation), and religious or ethical requests. Nutrition education and recommendations are provided to individual families and at group events. All meals served, including those reflecting special dietary needs, follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal patterns for children 0-5.

 

Nutrition: Obesity, inadequate physical activity and poor oral health are the three major health problems that children are facing today. Head Start encourages good nutrition, physical activity and proper oral health in the daily curriculum as mandated by the Head Start Program Performance Standards in order to obtain positive child outcomes.

The nutrition program focuses on the importance of providing children with nourishing food and opportunities to promote their intellectual and social development. Parents play an important role in their children's nutrition. Head Start provides and offers nutrition education activities to parents, staff and child care providers to enhance nutrition skills and build interest.

Partnerships with Virginia Cooperative Extension as well as Cooking Matters take parents on grocery tours and help them practice their culinary skills.

Nutrition screening and assessments are conducted to ensure that children's eating and growth patterns are normal. A child's diet can affect how she grows, develops, looks and feels. 

Fairfax County Early Head Start and Head Start program provides nutritious meals that follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines. Providing nutritious meals to children is a fundamental Head Start service.

CACFP

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded program that provides meal reimbursement to child care centers, adult day care centers, emergency shelters, before and after school programs and child development homes for serving nutritious meals.

The objectives of the CACFP are to:

  • Provide a subsidy to eligible child and adult care institutions for serving nutritious meals.
  • Serve nutritious meals and snacks to children and adults in care.
  • Foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement  

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained from any USDA office, by calling 866-632-9992 TTY 711, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

The Head Start program encourages family-style meals to help children learn to eat at a leisurely pace. Family-style meal service means serving foods in bowls or dishes on the table. Children are encouraged to serve themselves, or serve themselves with help from an adult. Enough food is placed on the table to provide the full required portion size for all the children at the table.

Nutrition specialists, health managers, teachers and child care providers promote conversations between adults and children. The adults model healthy eating habits and proper table manners and encourage children to try a variety of foods.

Family-style meals allow children to identify and be introduced to new foods, new tastes and new menus. Children are often unsure about new foods and may become more willing to try a small serving of a new food when they see other children sample something different.

Children can choose the amount of food they would like to have on their plate. When foods are served family-style, children may choose to take a small portion of food, knowing that the food will still be available if they would like a second serving. Children feel more in control to judge their hunger and fullness throughout the meal, knowing that more food is within easy reach.

Children practice good table manners and new skills with their hands and fingers. Serving themselves gives children time to practice skills like passing, pouring and scooping foods. Taking turns, sharing and politely turning down foods are all a part of the table manners children learn by participating in family-style meals.

Positive patterns of behavior are formed early in a child's life. The Head Start program helps young children maintain a healthy weight through nutritious meals and regular moderate to vigorous physical activity. Walking, gardening, quickly pushing a baby's stroller and climbing stairs are examples of physical activity that parents and children can do. Being physically active is a key to a longer, healthier and happier life. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.

I AM Moving, I AM Learning

The 9-5-2-1-0 for Health message highlights the five key behaviors that promote healthy weight and overall good health for children and adults:

9 - Get at least nine hours of sleep per day.
5 - Five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
2 - Limit screen time to two hours or less outside of school
1 - Get at least one hour of physical activity per day.
0 - Eliminate sugar-added beverages.

95210 Northern Virginia Healthy Kids Coalition

A healthy pregnancy has a direct influence on the health and development of a newborn child. Early Head Start (EHS) strives to have the greatest impact on participating children by offering supportive services as early in life as possible. The prenatal period of growth and development has a lasting impact on the child's potential for healthy growth and development after birth.

The Early Head Start Program provides services to pregnant people and their families through the child's first three years of life. This includes: meeting with pregnant people on an as-needed basis to address any issues or concerns during pregnancy; a two-week postpartum visit after delivery to assess parent's and baby's nutritional status, determine if there may be any postpartum depression or other mental health or substance abuse issues, and to provide additional support and information about available resources.

Head Start ensures that children receive health and development screenings, oral health, mental health support and nutritious meals. The program connects families to medical, dental, and mental health services and ensures that children receive the services they need.

Dental Health Services

Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease. It is caused by bacteria that can be shared from person to person. Brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste is one of the most effective ways to prevent tooth decay and promote good oral health. Effective oral health practices vary depending on the developmental skills of each child. When children have a healthy mouth, they can speak more clearly, eat healthy foods and feel good about themselves. A healthy mouth also means a child can better focus and learn, have a pain-free mouth, resulting in fewer dental costs for families. Our program is required to work with each family to establish an ongoing source of preventive and primary oral health care with diagnostic testing, examination and treatment. It is often referred to as a dental home.

Good Oral Health Care English *
Good Oral Health Care Spanish *

*Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination in all county programs, services and activities. To request reasonable accommodations or to receive this information in an alternate format, call the 888-227-5125.

Mental Health Services

Head Start has always recognized that ensuring the healthy development of children includes attention to their mental health. As with physical health, Head Start's primary strategy is to prevent problems by reducing risks and encouraging healthy habits. All children receive a social/emotional screening when they enter the program to identify any possible need for services, including skill building, behavior support and counseling services. When mental health services are needed, Head Start helps children and their families receive them. 

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