Head Start of Fayette County is Designated as a
National Center of Excellence in Early Childhood

The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Department of Health and Human Services has designated our Head Start/Early Head Start program as a National Center of Excellence In Early Childhood.

The Centers of Excellence program was established as part of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007. The Private Industry Council is one of only ten agencies nationally to receive this prestigious recognition, which will provide bonus funding in the amount of $200,000 per year for five years.

In order to qualify to compete for this National award, applicants needed to first be nominated by the Governor of their state. Last December the Private Industry Council announced Governor Edward Rendell's nomination for Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County to compete at the national level for the National Centers of Excellence program. This nomination, on behalf of Pennsylvania, was awarded to Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County on the basis of our innovative practices in delivering early education services as well as the ongoing partnership with the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) in the required areas of - quality improvement, sound partnerships, comprehensive programming, staff competency, and participation in collaborative systems oversight through the Early Learning Council and its various committees.

The Private Industry Council will use the funding resulting from this award to assist children, parents, and early education programs in preventing, reducing, and treating aggression and other inappropriate behaviors by promoting children's emotional, social, and academic competence. The funding will also be used to disseminate best practices to Head Start, Early Head Start and other early education programs.

Sandi Hall, director of Head Start/Early Head Start/Pre-K Counts for the Private Industry Council, expressed her excitement about the award and what it will mean for Fayette County,

"We at the Private Industry Council Head Start/Early Head Start are elated that our project is being recognized as one of quality and benefit to the entire Fayette County community. The project has the potential to reach hundreds of early childhood practitioners and parents with training and curriculum materials. The five year timeline of goals will start locally and expand to the state and then finally national levels. There will be a tremendous amount of collaboration that comes with the project that will be inclusive of county agencies such as Fayette County Behavioral Health Administration and the Fayette County Collaborative for Families, schools districts, child care facilities, and private preschools. We consider it an honor to be one of the few programs to be named as a Center of Excellence and look forward to the work that will be accomplished through the funding."

Tim Yurcisin, president of the Private Industry Council, also expressed elation, on behalf of the organization, over receiving this award.

"Last December I stood before the Fayette County community proud of the fact that we were 1 of 5 Head Start agencies (out of 75 agencies) in the state of Pennsylvania to be nominated by the Governor. You can only imagine the pride that we now feel to be one of the ten best Head Start programs in the entire Country. This award is not just about the Private Industry Council, but about all the great work that is done in Early Childhood Education throughout Fayette County."

The Private Industry Council has been the grant administrator of the Head Start program in Fayette County since 1994, and the Early Head Start program since 1997. Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County provides a coordinated delivery of services to low income children (ages 0-5) and pregnant women. With 11 locations strategically located throughout Fayette County and a broad home-base service area, the program promotes school readiness by enhancing physical and emotional development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, and social services to enrolled children and families.

During the month of November the Private Industry Council will hold a special community event in celebration of this award. For more information please contact: Sandra Hall, director of Head Start/Early Head Start/Pre-K Counts at 724-430-4818, ext. 101.