The Basics of the Parent and Child Center
Merrily C Beyreuther, Chief Special Services Branch, Head Start Bureau
Parent and Child Centers (PCC's) programs provide services to low-income families with children up to three years of age and to pregnant women. The Head Start program approach is based on the philosophy that a child benefits most from a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program to foster development; the family is the principal influence on the child's development, and the parent is the first teacher. The child's entire family as well as the community must be involved in the program.
PCC's encourage the optimal development of the child by providing ongoing health care and health nutrition education. PCC's inform parents and prospective parents of the significance of the prenatal period and environment during the years of infancy and their effect on the intellectual, language, social, emotional, and physical development of the child. PCC's identify and prevent health problems in the unborn by accessing prenatal care and health education for the pregnant woman.
Through the required participation of the parents in the PCC's, the program strives to increase the parents' knowledge of their children's development and assist parents in becoming more effective parents and primary educators of their own children.
PCC's also strengthen the family by providing opportunities for in creasing parents' skills as homemakers and for pursuing education and economic opportunities. PCC's have a strong community base and, as such, help parents become more aware of available community resources. Head Start has the benefit of working with parents and children at an early age through the PCC program, and the opportunities are boundless.
Key Issues in the PCC Program:
- How do you count enrollment? Parent/child pairs are counted as one unit and a pregnant woman is counted as one unit. If the family has more than one child in the PCC, the family unit is counted as one.
- Is parent participation required for enrollment in the PCC? Yes. Parents are required to participate in the PCC. While providing services to the parent and child, the PCC provides staff support to the parent.
- What is the relationship between a PCC and Head Start? PCC's are a part of Head Start. Once a parent and child are enrolled in the PCC, they remain in Head Start until the child goes into elementary school. It may be that the child is served 5 or 6 years in a continuum of services between the Head Start/PCC and the Head Start 3- to 5-year-old program.
- If PCC's are a part of Head Start, how does the Policy Council work? The Policy Council serves the entire Head Start program of which the PCC is a part. Within the Policy Council it is critical to have a strong voice to address issues that specifically relate to the PCC. A PCC committee that is comprised of parents and community representatives can effectively address those issues.
- What is the T&TA support to a PCC? Each grantee receives direct funding monies based on the funded enrollment. The allocation to a program that has both Head Start 3- to 5-year-olds and a PCC is based on the combined enrollment. The overall program must assess its training needs and allocate its T&TA resources accordingly. In addition, the T&TA network is set up to address the needs of all Head Start grantees and has within its resources in formation and expertise designed to assist the PCC's.
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