Visit Bright Futures Early Head Start Program

Our goal is to promote family unity, quality child care and self-sufficiency for pregnant women and families with children under the age of three years old in Sumner County.

Children learn through play and interaction with others. The Bright Futures Early Head Start Program teaches parents and children how to play, how to bond, and how to grow through good experiences. It's the little things like talking to your baby, sharing a story with your toddler or playing a simple game that stimulates your child's brain development. Just like good nutrition is vital to your child's body, healthy, positive experiences are vital to your child's brain.

Research shows that positive experiences in the first years of life can have a dramatic impact on a child's brain development. Research also shows that children who do not have good experiences in the first years of life can develop emotional and learning problems.

Children who receive positive, responsive care in the first years of life enjoy an important head start toward success in their lives.

Enrollment Qualifications

• Families with children age 0 to 36 months
• Pregnant teens and women
• Live in Sumner County
• Meet the Federal Income guidelines

• Fun educational activities during personal visits and play groups
• Opportunities to participate in parent meetings
• Vision, Hearing and Developmental screenings
• Referrals for needed assistance Training opportunities
• Assistance with job readiness, housing, child care, etc.
• Smooth transitions from Early Head Start to Head Start or other preschool program

Staff are certified parent educators in the Parents as Teachers-Born to Learn Curriculum. We recognize parents as the first and most important teacher of their child and work together with families in developing the focus of each developmental activity. We respect individual ideas and interests and integrate them into each home visit.

Child Care

Bright Futures Early Head Start is committed to working together with local child care providers to assure that all children receive quality care. Enrolled families may be eligible to receive assistance with paying for child care costs.

Where are these services?
Futures Unlimited provides Sumner County with Infant/Toddler Services.

How long has Infant/Toddler Services been in this area?
Infant/Toddler Services have been around for twelve (12) years. Services can begin at birth.

How many children are involved in this program?
Currently there are 22 families involved. There is no waiting list and there is no limit to this program.

What curriculum is used?
Teaching is based on typical development and special education resources.

What are the Transition options?
Children who are in this program may transition to the Special Education 3-5 year old services.

Parents as Teachers in Wellington

How long has Parents as Teachers been in Wellington?
Approximately 2 years. This program started in 1998.

When can someone become involved?
Parents as Teachers can serve women while they are pregnant families with children under 3.

How many families are involved in Parents as Teachers?
In Wellington there are ten families who are involved in this program.

What curriculum is used?
The Parents As Teachers (Born to Learn) curriculum is being used.

What are the Transition Options with Parents as Teachers?
Parents as Teachers may be used with any preschool program or may be used at home with parents.

Parents as Teachers: A Parent Education and Support System that Works

Parents as Teachers is an early childhood parent education and family support program designed to help all parents give their children the best possible start in life. Parents as Teachers provides parents with information on child development, prenatally to age 5, and involves parents in learning activities with their child that encourage language and intellectual growth, physical and social emotional skill development. Program Components: Parents as Teachers is a voluntary primary prevention program that offers:

• Personal Visits - Personalized home visits by certified parent educators, trained in child development, help parents understand what to expect in each stage of their child's development, and offer practical ways to encourage learning, manage challenging behavior, and promote strong parent-child relationships.

• Group Meetings - Parents get together to gain new insights and share their experiences, common concerns and successes. Group meetings also provide families the opportunity to participate in parent-child activities.

• Screening - Parents as Teachers offers periodic screening of overall development, language, hearing, and vision. The goal is to provide early detection of potential problems to prevent difficulties later in school.

• Resource Network - Families are helped to access other community services that are beyond the scope of the Parents as Teachers program.

• Adaptations - Adaptability is the key to the success of Parents as Teachers. While it is a national model with cutting-edge curriculum and a professional training program, it is truly a local program. As shown in the findings of Parents as Teachers evaluation studies and lessons learned from the field, the program is adaptable to the needs of broadly divers families, cultures and special populations.

• Evaluation Findings - Numerous independent evaluations have shown the following results for families participating in Parents as Teachers.

• PAT children at age 3 are significantly more advanced than comparison children in language, problem solving and other cognitive abilities, and social development.
  
• PAT parents are more involved in their children's schooling - parental involvement is highly related to a child's success in schools.
  
• The positive impact on PAT children carries into the elementary school years; PAT children score higher on kindergarten readiness tests and standardized measures of reading, math and language in early grades.
  
• PAT parents are more confident in their parenting skills and knowledge; they read more to their children - a key factor in preparing children for school success.

Funding
Program funding is often a combination of federal, state and local dollars, and private monies. Federal funds include Goals 2000, Title I, Even Start, and Head Start.

Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc.
The Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc., is a not -for-profit organization that provides Parents as Teachers training and technical assistance; certification of Parents as Teachers parent educators; curriculum and materials development and adaptation; research and evaluation coordination; and international conferences. The center also engages in public policy initiatives that promote family support and parent education.

Born to Learn Curriculum
Through collaboration with neuroscientists from the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo., Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. has developed the Born to Learn Curriculum. Combining in-depth knowledge of early childhood development with recent neuroscience research findings on early learning, the Born to Learn Curriculum translates neuroscience into concrete advice that supports parents in giving their children the best possible start in life. This neuroscience-infused curriculum includes detailed monthly, bi-weekly and weekly personal visit plans, child development information and suggested parent-child activities for parents and resource materials for parent educators. It also features, for the first time, an award-wining 16 part video series keyed to specific personal visit plans. The Born to Learn Curriculum is now the standard PAT prenatal to three curriculum.

* Programs and Services of Futures Unlimited, Inc. are made possible in part with support from US Department of Health and Human Services, Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Kansas State Board of Education, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Health Foundation, and Sumner County Board of Commissioners.