Students at the Pittston New Street Center have new books to read, thanks to a generous donation from Chewy Pharmacy.

Chewy employees in Pittston collected 60 preschool books during their Read Across America Book Drive in March. Devan Fritz and Nicole Reese from Human Resources at Chewy visited the center this week to drop off the donations.

Our students couldn’t wait to start reading!

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) will hold its 59th Anniversary Celebration on May 13 at Mohegan Pennsylvania to honor our longstanding commitment to providing comprehensive services to low-income children and their families. We will also recognize our dedicated staff and community partners while honoring the next class of LCHS Alumni Scholarship recipients. 

This tradition wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors. Their financial support enables us to honor the community organizations, businesses, individuals, students and staff who have contributed to our agency’s ongoing success. This year’s event sponsors are…

Diamond Sponsorship Level:

Gold Sponsorship Level:

Luzerne County Community College

Benco Family Foundation

Panzitta Enterprises Inc.

WVW Transport, Inc.

Silver Sponsorship Level:

Cambridge Investment Research

Conscious Discipline

Seltzer Group Partners

Bronze Sponsorship Level:

Becker’s School Supplies, Inc. 

Creative Benefits, Inc.

Cross Valley Federal Credit Union

Kaplan Early Learning Company 

Lakeshore Learning Materials 

Mark J. Sobeck Roof Consulting, Inc.   

Metz Culinary Management 

Snyder & Clemente 

The Wright Center for Community Health

We would also like to thank this year’s LCHS Alumni Scholarship sponsors:

Fran Williams Memorial Scholarship

Benco Family Foundation Scholarship

Eugene Hogan Memorial Scholarship

Tomalis-Gatusky Family Scholarship

PNC Bank Scholarship

Navient Community Fund Scholarship

George R. Evans Memorial Scholarship

Mary & Tom Sewatsky Family Scholarship

LCHS Board of Directors Lena Taylor Memorial Scholarship

Luzerne County Bar Association Charitable Foundation Scholarship

Church of Christ Uniting Scholarship

Friends of Head Start Scholarship

LCHS Policy Council Claudia O’Boyle Memorial Scholarship

Delaney Family Scholarship

Coombs Family Memorial Scholarship

Pittston Tomato Festival Committee Scholarship

Cross Valley Federal Credit Union Scholarship

Travis Black Scholarship

The Luzerne County Bar Association Charitable Foundation recently continued its support of the Luzerne County Head Start Alumni Scholarship Program with a $1,000 donation.

Established in 1987, the LCHS Alumni Scholarship Program honors the achievements of former Head Start students set to graduate from high school and continue their education. Since its inception, the program has awarded 333 scholarships totaling $333,450 to outstanding students who began their educational journey as preschoolers at Head Start.

LCHS will honor the next class of scholarship students during its 59^th Anniversary Celebration in May. This marks the 15^th year for the Luzerne County Bar Association Charitable Foundation Scholarship.

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate

Dana Weidman experienced what she calls the “full circle of life of Head Start.”

Her Head Start journey began in 1999 as a 3-year-old preschool student at the Beekman Street Center of Luzerne County Head Start. Weidman credits the program with setting a foundation for her future success, from academics to socializing with peers. Her teacher even inspired her future career path.  

After two years of preschool at LCHS, Weidman successfully transitioned to kindergarten. However, her Head Start story didn’t end there. 

Later, Weidman decided to give back to LCHS as a volunteer. She primarily volunteered for Jump Start, a supplemental program the agency offers to a select group of incoming students every summer, and helped out teachers in their classrooms. This included her mother, Aimee Schneider, a longtime LCHS teacher who now works in the Edwardsville Center. 

As a senior at Coughlin High School, Weidman earned an LCHS Alumni Scholarship from the agency that allowed her to purchase textbooks for her first year at Wilkes University. She originally pursued nursing, but it just didn’t feel right. Knowing her heart was in early childhood and elementary education, Weidman switched majors. She graduated in 2018. 

After college, she heard of a job opportunity where it all began: Luzerne County Head Start. The agency’s Mehoopany Center in Wyoming County needed a teacher, and Weidman had no doubt that she would be the perfect fit. 

“It’s actually really emotional for me because that’s where my roots started,” she said. 

Knowing firsthand the importance of giving children a “Head Start” in school and life, Weidman appreciates being a part of the mission for future generations. She wants students to think of school as a safe place to learn and have fun. 

“The best part about being a Head Start teacher is to see the growth from Day 1 to Day 180,” she said. 

Several “mission moments” come to mind when Weidman reflects on her time at LCHS. It spoke volumes to Weidman when a former Head Start student, now in fourth grade, told her “Miss Dana, I wish that I can come back to your classroom.” 

“Once they step foot into my classroom, I always tell their parents that they’re my children now, so I will treat them and love them and teach them how I would want my child to be taught and loved and cared for,” she said.

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate

United Way of Wyoming Valley visited the Beekman Street Center on December 19 for a holiday storytime and check presentation.

United Way of Wyoming Valley President and CEO Bill Jones (also known as Buddy the Elf), read “The Poky Little Puppy’s Wonderful Winter Day” to Classrooms #3 and 5. Each child unwrapped their own copy of the book from United Way to read at home.

Luzerne County Head Start relies on funding from United Way of Wyoming Valley to provide comprehensive services to pregnant women, children from birth to age 3, and their families through its Early Head Start home visiting program. Before the storytime, United Way formally presented a $75,000 check for EHS funding that LCHS received earlier this year.

LCHS is grateful for its continued support from the local United Way.

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate

PNC Bank showed its appreciation for early childhood educators at Luzerne County Head Start.

As part of its Grow Up Great® initiative, PNC gave teacher appreciation gifts to 10 randomly selected Head Start classrooms and Early Head Start family educators. 

Classrooms in the Back Mountain, Nanticoke LCCC, Beekman Street, Edwardsville, Nanticoke, Tunkhannock and Dodson centers, as well as an EHS Wilkes-Barre family educator, each received a gift box containing a $250 Lakeshore Learning gift card, colored pencils, breathing cards, a sensory ring and a wellness journal. 

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate

Children at Luzerne County Head Start will have warm coats this winter thanks to the generosity of Bafile Family Chiropractic in Sugarloaf, a longtime community partner.

Bafile Family Chiropractic collected 28 coats through its annual Coats for Kids drive for children in LCHS programs. It’s been a tradition at their practice for 15 years. LCHS staff quickly distributed the coats to families throughout the agency.

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate