Head Start Holds an Open House to Celebrate the National Center of Excellence Award

An Open House was held on Friday, November 19th, 2010, at the North Union Head Start site located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Members of the community, community representatives, staff and families of the program were all invited. This event was held in honor of the Head Start of Fayette County program being designated as a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Center of Excellence In Early Childhood. This achievement was granted to only ten Head Start facilities nationwide.

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.

During the event, Sandra Hall, Director of Head Start/Early Head Start of Fayette County, delivered a brief power point presentation highlighting the new S.E.E.D.S. Program. S.E.E.D.S. is an acronym for Social-Emotional-Educational-Developmental-Successes. This program will be utilized county-wide and benefit all children within the community. Steely McBeam (Mascot of the Pittsburgh Steelers) was also there to kick off the event, along with Representative Tim Mahoney and County Commissioner Vincent Vicites.

For more information please contact: Sandra Hall, director of Head Start/Early Head Start/Pre-K Counts at 724-430-4818, ext. 101.

Event Pictures:

Sandi Hall, PIC Director of Head Start/Early Head Start/PreK Counts explains the S.E.E.D.S. program

From left to right - Tim Yurcisin, Jeff Williams (from Senator Kasunic's office), Terri Campbell, John Sproull, John Malone, and Ray Greene