Dear RCHS/EHS Families, Community Partners, and Colleagues,

This winter has been a season of meaningful growth and creativity at Rutland County Head Start & Early Head Start (RCHS/EHS).

From exciting milestones to everyday moments of discovery, our program continues to grow in ways that strengthen learning and connection for children and families across our community. One such milestone includes a recent Bowse Health Trust grant award, which will support expanded services and developmental outcomes for our children. You can read more about this exciting grant and its impact in the Bowse Health Trust Grant article later in this newsletter.

Alongside this positive news, our classrooms have been full of energy, exploration, and connection—despite the cold winter weather. In late December, we enjoyed a festive door-decorating contest that showcased the creativity of both children and staff. Congratulations to Discovery (Early Head Start) and Innovators (Head Start) for their winning designs. We were especially pleased to welcome Abbie Fleming, a first-time expectant mother from our community, who generously served as our guest judge—bringing a fresh and meaningful perspective to the celebration.

Throughout this newsletter, you’ll find highlights from each classroom, illustrating how teachers continue to create engaging, developmentally rich experiences indoors and out. From winter sensory play and gross-motor exploration to emerging projects driven by children’s questions and interests, our classrooms remain vibrant places of learning, even on the coldest days.

We invite you to read on and enjoy a snapshot of winter learning at RCHS/EHS.

Dr. Lauren Weiss

Director, Rutland County Head Start/Early Head Start



-Giving Thanks for a New Year-

💛Giving Thanks, Together💛

On December 12, 2025, our program gathered for our annual Giving Thanks lunch — a special tradition that brings families, staff, and community members together around the table. This meal is our way of slowing down during a busy season, sharing a more traditional meal for the time of year, and simply saying thank you to one another for the care, support, and partnership that makes our program strong.

This year’s event was a true team effort. Our Nutrition Staff members worked tirelessly to prepare a hearty meal for everyone to enjoy, including:

• 6 turkeys
• 12 pounds of mashed potatoes
• 10 pounds of corn
• 34 ounces of gravy (including one sippy cup!)
• 20 dozen rolls

Once the food was ready, our amazing Administrative & Program Support team stepped in to make sure everyone was welcomed and well fed. Together, they served:

• 44 children
• 58 family members
• 10 community guests
• 20 staff members — and hopefully found a moment to enjoy the meal themselves!

More than just a lunch, Giving Thanks is about connection. It’s about sharing food, conversation, and gratitude, and creating space to support one another as a community. We are incredibly thankful for everyone who helped prepare, serve, attend, and share in this meaningful day.

Thank you to all who joined us — and to those who made it possible.

We are thrilled to share that Rutland County Head Start has been awarded a competitive $100,000 grant from Rutland Regional Medical Center’s James T. Bowse Health Trust (BHT), distributed over six installments across three years. This significant investment reflects strong confidence in our work and will support expanded services that strengthen developmental outcomes for children and families across our community.

This funding directly supports our Developmental Classroom, which enhances existing Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms by equipping staff and community partners with tools to identify developmental needs early and respond with timely, effective interventions. With support from BHT, this work will move from a successful pilot program into a sustainable model of early intervention, increasing access to services that promote child health, development, and school readiness.

We are proud to be one of three local organizations awarded this funding and extend our congratulations to The Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County and Vermont Adult Learning, whose initiatives will also make a meaningful impact across the Rutland region. Together, these projects address critical community needs and support health equity for residents of all ages.

We are deeply grateful to the James T. Bowse Health Trust for investing in children, families, and the long-term well-being of our community. We look forward to sharing more in the months ahead about how this funding will enhance our classrooms and programming.

-Winter Door Decorating Contest-

In late December, classrooms across RCHS/EHS filled the hallways with winter cheer during our Door Decorating Contest. Children and staff worked together to create festive displays, with Discovery (Early Head Start) and Innovators (Head Start) taking home top honors. Thank you to Abbie Fleming, a first-time expectant mother from our community, for serving as our guest judge and helping make the event extra special.

Discovery

Explorers

Dreamers

Adventurers

Innovators

-Outreach Initiative-

Community Partners Invited:

Preschool & Kindergarten Pre-Registration Event

Head Start and the Rutland County Parent & Child Center are partnering to host a Preschool and Kindergarten Pre-Registration Event on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, from 11 AM to 1 PM in the welcoming 2Gen Room at the Parent & Child Center. This event is designed to support families with young children, with a special focus on those experiencing housing instability or transition. Our goal is to create a supportive, low-barrier space where families can complete pre-registration for childcare, pre-k or kindergarten, and connect with community resources.

Food and activities for will be available for all in attendance who want to play and have fun while also getting started on your next steps!

We are currently inviting local organizations, service providers, and community partners who would like to participate by offering information, resources, or direct support to families during the event. If your organization serves young children and families, we would love to explore how you might join us.

By coming together, we can help ensure families have access to the tools, connections, and encouragement they need as they take important steps in their child’s educational journey.

If you are interested in participating or would like more information,

please contact Kristen Nugent.

-Early Head Start-

Discovery

The Discovery classroom is excited about an upcoming family engagement experience. They are offering a family photo day. They are creating a photo backdrop made from the children’s artwork. They have rearranged the classroom to and added new materials to keep things fresh, engaging and developmentally appropriate. The classroom has been working on gross motor skills within classroom due to the extreme cold. Their older toddlers have been working on self-help, prosocial, and language skills.

Explorers

The Explorers classroom enjoyed going for a walk with their neighboring classroom, Dreamers. They utilized a walking trail where they were able to cross a bridge and talk about water. They have been exploring empty boxes by building with them, coloring them and playing inside of them. The children experienced making banana muffins. They added ingredients and mixed. They have rearranged the classroom to meet the needs of the growing children, and they welcomed a new child to the classroom.

Dreamers

The Dreamers classroom made penguin suncatchers among other fun art and fine motor experiences They have been “bringing winter into the classroom” by bringing snow in for a sensory experience when it’s too cold to go outside and by “sledding” in the hallway. The classroom has a focus on developing social and emotional skills as well as fine and gross motor skills. The teachers report that their classroom loves BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!!!

-Head Start-

Visionaries

The Visionaries classroom welcomed Angela Sillars as a co-lead. Angela brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. They have worked on classroom arrangement to accommodate the evolving developmental needs of the classroom. They have been doing lots and lots of gross motor activities inside to allow children to move their bodies and get energy out on these frigid days. The children especially enjoy jumping and crashing on mats and foam cushions. They are working on developing social emotional skills. Prosocial skills, as well as fine motor through art experiences, play dough, slime and many other sensory experiences.

Adventurers

The Adventurers classroom spent January learning all about winter, exploring seasonal changes and how the colder weather affects our world. In February, they began a new unit focused on gingerbread, inspired by familiar stories and playful exploration. The children are engaging with hands-on activities, sensory experiences, and discussions that encourage creativity and curiosity. This unit supports early literacy, social engagement, and imaginative play as children explore themes connected to gingerbread in fun and meaningful ways.

Innovators

The Innovators classroom wrapped up January with an engaging unit on Arctic animals, inspired by the children’s questions about winter and animals that live in cold climates. They explored Arctic habitats and enjoyed hands-on experiences with ice and snow. Outdoor play was a highlight, with children building snowmen, sledding, and experimenting with friction on the new playground slides. In February, the classroom began a new dinosaur unit. The children are enjoying dinosaur stories, learning new vocabulary like carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore, and exploring fossils like real paleontologists as they investigate dinosaur habitats and lifecycles.

The Innovators Classroom is diving into an exciting, hands-on art project that brings creativity and sustainability together. Students will be working as a team to design and build a large-scale collage made entirely from recycled materials. Along the way, children will practice important skills like cooperation, inclusion, communication, and problem-solving—while turning everyday items into something extraordinary.

Right now, the class is in the collection phase and would love help gathering materials! We are looking for items such as milk caps, soda or water bottle caps, soda can tabs, cardboard tubes, small boxes, yogurt containers, egg cartons, plastic lids, small cartons, buttons, food pouch caps, empty fruit cups, and other clean recyclables you think could be reused.

A donation bin is available outside the Innovators Classroom for anyone who would like to contribute. Thank you for helping our young artists give new life to recycled materials!

January

Our January Healthy Bites was bursting with citrusy fun! Little learners explored oranges, clementines, lemons, limes, and grapefruit by feeling, cutting, smelling, and tasting each fruit. We chatted about bright colors, bumpy peels, juicy insides, seeds, and even where these fruits grow. There were lots of curious noses, brave taste testers, and big smiles all around!

February

Healthy Bites went underground with root vegetables! Children explored carrots, beets, onions, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and radishes while learning that these veggies grow beneath the soil. They felt the rough and smooth textures, noticed the different shapes and smells, and talked about how each vegetable tastes. It was a hands-on, dirt-to-table adventure that helped little learners dig into healthy choices!

-Tooth Tutor-

All Aboard the Tooth Tutor Train!

As part of our ongoing commitment to children’s health and wellness, RCHS/EHS was happy to welcome Christina Sweet, our “Tooth Tutor” and dental hygienist extraordinaire, into all of our classrooms. Christina taught children the importance of healthy teeth, good brushing habits, and routine dental care in a fun, age-appropriate way. She also checked over children’s teeth right in the classroom, helping make dental care feel familiar and comfortable.

Head Start programs promote twice daily toothbrushing and routine dental visits starting at or before age one. Christina’s visits support this work while also connecting to the “Brush, Book, Bed” campaign from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which encourages families to build healthy bedtime routines that support both oral health and overall well-being. We are grateful to Christina for helping our children—and families—build healthy habits that support lifelong physical and emotional health.

Get Involved: Join Our

Head Start Policy Council

Though we are already in the second half of the year, we are still actively recruiting members for our Head Start Policy Council—and we would love you to be part of it. Policy Council is one of the most meaningful ways parents and community members can help shape the future of our Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Policy Council gives families a voice in important decisions that impact our classrooms, services, and overall program direction. Members work together with staff and leadership to review plans, share feedback, and ensure our program continues to meet the needs of children and families in our community. Whether you’re a current Head Start or Early Head Start parent, or a community member who believes in supporting early childhood education, your perspective matters.

👉 Want to see what Policy Council is all about? Click here to watch a short video explaining the role and why parent voices are so important.

Getting involved doesn’t have to feel intimidating—and it doesn’t have to start with jumping straight into meetings. We also offer Coffee Chat, a relaxed and welcoming space for parents to connect, ask questions, and build relationships.

☕ Coffee Chat takes place Wednesday mornings from 8:15–9:30 AM and gives parents the opportunity to talk with Family Advocates, meet other families, and learn more about ways to get involved—including Policy Council.

Our program thrives when families and community members come together. If you’re interested in learning more, joining a conversation, or stepping into a leadership role, we would love to hear from you. Your voice helps make Head Start stronger—for today’s children and for those still to come.

Policy Council Meetings

Policy Council meets every 3rd Monday of the month from 5:30–6:30 PM.

Childcare and dinner are provided, and Head Start/Early Head Start parents who attend in person receive a $10 travel stipend.

📅 Our next meeting will be held on February 23, as our regular meeting day falls on a holiday.

-Arts & Crafts-

-Work With Us-

-Partners and Supporters-

Sharing Warmth This Coming Winter:

Seeking Donations: Gently Used Clothing, Blankets, and Toys

Rutland County Head Start and Early Head Start are stocking up for the colder months, and we’d love your help! We’re looking for gently used or new clothing, blankets, and toys to keep our children cozy and ready for play.

As a hands-on, play-based program, little ones often need extra clothes after adventures in art, mud, or snowy forts. Your donations make those moments possible!

If you’d like to contribute, please reach out to Kristen Nugent, Family Services Manager. RCHS is a tax-exempt organization, and donations are tax-deductible. Email Kristen here