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Letter from the Director...
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Spring is here, and with it comes a season filled with hope and new beginnings! Each season reminds us of the beauty of change and nothing illustrates this more vividly than the growth of our infants and toddlers in the Early Head Start (EHS) program.
It’s hard to believe that we have been operating our EHS program for more than a year now and have already had the privilege of witnessing toddlers evolve into confident preschoolers! I still fondly remember holding one of our first EHS babies—who was just a little over one year old—during her early days in the program. Like many children, she experienced the typical separation anxiety and cried for her mom. While this phase was temporary, it underscored the importance of providing a safe environment with loving teachers to support her during this adjustment period.
Just last week on the playground, a teacher called out to me, “Look, Donna! Look what she can do!” I turned to see that same little girl, now so proud and full of joy, confidently walking on toddler “bucket stilts,” those colorful upside-down cups with rope handles. She clomped around the cushioned tiles, beaming with pride. Moments like these remind us of the unique honor it is for us to share this precious time in the lives of young children. It is a sacred responsibility that we take very seriously.
As time swiftly passes, 11 of our 24 EHS children will be moving up to preschool by early fall. To prepare for this transition, we have begun our Fall 2025 enrollment activities. We invite you to come say hello to our incredible team members and parents at various upcoming community events including the Baby Expo, Farmers Market, and our very own Coffee and Chats!
Thank you for being an integral part of our Head Start and Early Head Start community. Your trust and support make all the difference in nurturing the growth of our little ones!
-Donna Barrow, EdD
Director, Head Start and Early Head Start
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Excerpt from 100 Languages Poem...
The child
is made of one hundred.
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.
The child has
a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)…
–Loris Malaguzzi, Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach
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Christina Sweet, the "Tooth Tutor," visited RCHS in March!
As dental health is so important in the early years, we are so fortunate to have Christina (Rutland School Board Member and Dental Health Professional) providing Dental Health Education to our students.
The Rutland County Head Start Tooth Tutor program is made possible through a generous grant by Delta Dental and administered through our Health Services Program.
Learn more about dental health...
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Learning is so much fun!
Head Start's "Research on the Go" podcast has information on play, child development, parenting, and brain building.
Learn more here...
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Children use their “hundred languages” to learn while playing and participating in rich classroom experiences. These “languages” are symbolic and include drawing, sculpting, dramatic play, writing, dancing, outdoor exploration, and painting.
While children work through problems and ideas, teachers encourage them to share what they are thinking using the many different languages of learning.
| Summer Camp and Fall Registration Open | |
Rutland County Head Start and Early Head Start offer joyful classroom experiences, hands-on nutrition activities, outdoor adventure experiences, and Expressive Arts classes with VTSU-Castleton university students.
Registration is now open for Summer Camps and Fall Classes.
Call us today at (802) 775-8225 or contact us online here!
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We are incredibly grateful for the Building Bright Futures Grant this year!
In March, our program was honored with a visit from RIVET for a Teacher Training led by the Reggio Inspired Vermont Early Education Team, featuring Susan A. Torncello and Jeanne Goldhaber, faculty from the University of Vermont.
During their visit, they conducted observations and provided training to our RCHS lead teachers and VTSU-Castleton ECE/Special Education students.
The focus of the training was “The Hundred Languages,” an essential aspect of the Reggio Emilia approach and an important step in preparation for the advanced teacher training in Reggio Emilia, designed for immersive and innovative early childhood education workforce training.
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Online Community
Follow us on Facebook for announcements, key dates, weather, and celebrations!
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Welcoming Dr. Weiss to RCHS!
Dr. Lauren Weiss recently joined the RCHS management team as Disability Manager. In her new role, she will focus on supporting children with disabilities and those at risk for developmental delays, collaborating closely with local education agencies and Rutland Mental Health Services.
Dr. Weiss previously served on the faculty at VTSU-Castleton in the Early Childhood Education and Special Education program and as an Education and Behavior Consultant at Maple Leaf Clinic. A Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst with extensive experience as a consultant and senior manager supporting early childhood programs, she holds a Doctorate from University of New Mexico.
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As we approach the national program's 60th Birthday in May, we continue to celebrate the “big picture" every month!
For six decades, Head Start has united American hearts in support of school readiness for families with children in poverty. As a national child care program, Head Start provides high-quality early childhood education. We also provide nutritious meals, health and medical resources, and social services to support the family stabilization and community engagement critical to children's school success.
Highly regulated for quality and fiscal management, local programs like RCHS regularly undergo rigorous reviews to ensure and maintain quality services. According to the Administration for Children and Families, “the standards serve as the foundation for the Head Start program's mission to deliver comprehensive, high-quality individualized services...”
By definition, Head Start programs prioritize local communities and build service models around local priorities and needs. Head Start and Early Head Start are flexible in design. Programs are federally funded with requirements for non-federal “local” financial sources. With 1,700 agencies administering programs in every state in the country, Head Start provides funding and programming for more than 1 million children each year. Early Head Start has partnered with more than 1,400 child care centers.
Public opinion polls repeatedly demonstrate that Americans strongly support early childhood education and care, recognizing the long-term benefits to children, communities, states, and local economies. The program is also popular with state legislatures because it is a “Federal to Local” early childhood wrap around model. Head Start addresses gaps in early care, social service, nutrition, and health programs particularly in rural communities like Rutland where these resources can sometimes be scarce.
Without these community designed supports, negative effects on communities, social service, and health care systems are cascading and enduring. Rutland, for example, lacks enough special education and health/dental resources for children birth to age three. Housing challenges compound the impact on local Rutland families, as well. Head Start partnerships are designed to bring together and enhance local resources to support family stabilization and aspirations. Our families are able to obtain and hold jobs because their children have free, high-quality child care and family advocates who connect to resources to help reduce employment barriers for parents. We also bring jobs to the local economy with opportunities for training, higher education, benefits, and paid time off.
Head Start / Early Head Start nationally brings $12 billion dollars in federal funds to local communities. Local grantees have to provide 20% in-kind match. This is a huge benefit not only to the 1 million children served annually but to our local communities where benefits are realized for generations.
Read Our Local Reports...
| | -Building Rutland Community- | |
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!
Have a partnership, collaboration or in-kind donation idea for a shared service project, promotional or training event, student or employee volunteer team, or donation drive?
Rutland County Head Start and Early Head Start welcome ideas to help support the children and families in our community!
Call (802) 775-8225 or fill out our online partnership form today!
Donations always appreciated!
Monthly, quarterly, annual, or one-time contributions to Rutland County Head Start are tax-deductible and very impactful.
Gifts can be made payable to “Rutland County Head Start” and mailed to:
Rutland Community Programs
P.O. Box 222
Rutland, VT 05702
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Grants
- The Bowse Trust
- Building Bright Futures
- Let's Grow Kids
- Delta Dental
- Vermont Arts Council / Vermont Arts Exchange
- Vermont Head Start Collaboration Office
Donations & In-Kind Support
- Wonderfeet Kids' Museum
- Child Plus
- Hickory Street Housing
- Operation Dolls
- Rutland City Schools
- Salvation Army
- Goodwill Rutland
- Teresa and Ethan Berkowitz
- Michael Drew
- Ashley Stone
- Christina Sweet, Tooth Tutor
- Alan Wilson
Training & Organizational Support
- Dr. Leigh-Ann Brown, VTSU-Castleton
- Dr. Angela Sillars, VTSU-Castleton
- VTSU-Castleton ECE/Special Education Students
- Vermont Head Start Association Board of Directors
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Parent/Policy Council Volunteers
- Hannah Hutchins, Parent/Policy Council President
- Stephanie Atwood, Parent Policy Council
- Katie Brown, Parent Policy Council
- Leslie Burg, PhD, Northeastern Emeritus Faculty
- Samantha Daly, Parent Policy Council
- Hazel LaFleche, Parent Policy Council
- Justin Pomykala, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program, Health Advisory Committee
- Laure Williams, Parent Policy Council
Rutland Community
Programs Board
- Jay Slenker, Principal, West Rutland School
- Renee Bousquet, Public Health Services Rutland District Director Vermont Department of Health
- Dick Courcelle, CEO, Community Care Network
- Erynn Hazlett, Parent Representative
- Tim O’Connor, Certified Financial Planner
- Shane Protivansky, Attorney
- Justine Ruhlin, Principal, Northeast Primary School
Read More...
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