The Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) recently awarded former Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) student, Asucena Vergara, Wilkes-Barre, with the “PHSA Alumni Scholarship” at its annual conference in State College.  Each year, PHSA recognizes one graduating high school senior in the state of Pennsylvania who can trace his/her academic successes back to the days as a young child in a Head Start classroom.  The $1,000 scholarship award is presented to the applicant who receives the highest score based on a number of factors including letters of reference, biographical sketch, special contributions and education goals.  The scholarship is meant to go toward higher education costs.  Vergara is a senior at Elmer L. Meyers High School in Wilkes-Barre who plans to attend Misericordia University in the fall.     

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Dallas, and Lehman–Idetown United Methodist Church, Lehman recently presented Luzerne County Head Start staff with a gift collection to be distributed to Head Start children and their families.  Each spring, members of both congregations purchase gifts for approximately 36 children and their families at the Back Mountain Head Start center, located within St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.  The gifts include items families might need like clothing, shoes or household items.  Staff from Luzerne County Head Start is invited to attend a breakfast at St. Paul’s.  During this breakfast, they are presented with the gift collection to distribute to children and their families.

Ryan Riley, executive director of The Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, joined by Troy Standish, senior vice president of loan serving operations at Navient, Wilkes-Barre visited children at Luzerne County Head Start’s (LCHS) Beekman Street, Wilkes-Barre center.  Standish was recently appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to serve as a commissioner on the PA Early Learning Investment Commission.  The statewide commission is made up of a network of 58 business leaders who work to improve early childhood education outcomes in communities across Pennsylvania.  LCHS is an income-based early childhood education program that provides comprehensive services to pregnant women, children age birth to five, and their families in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.