Children at Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. will have a warm coat this winter thanks to a coat drive sponsored by Eye Care Specialists of Kingston.

The business in Kingston teamed up with Eleventh Element in Edwardsville to collect winter jackets for children and their families who are enrolled in services at Luzerne County Head Start and Head Start Columbia Child Development Program.

New and gently used coats for both children and adults were dropped off at Eye Care Specialists’ seven locations across Luzerne and Columbia Counties and at Eleventh Element’s location in Edwardsville. The businesses started the coat collection back in September and wrapped up the collection in November.

More than 200 winter jackets were donated to children and families in need as part of the 11th annual coat drive.

Standing from left to right: Rebecca Norton, Kelly Lyons, Family Engagement Specialists, LCHS; Cheryl Summa, Chris Cavanaugh, Eye Care Specialists; Kati Autolitano, Family Engagement Specialist, LCHS; Donna & Chris Caruso, Eleventh Element; Sharon Dougherty, Director of Family Strengthening and Community Engagement, LCHS

The laminated certificate mounted on the wall in classroom #3 at Luzerne County Head Start’s (LCHS) Beekman Street center in Wilkes-Barre is a small reminder of the hard work that associate teacher, Jessica Cartagena, put into making her dream a reality.  

The former Head Start parent, and mother of two, recently completed her Child Development Associate (CDA®) certification through the National Head Start Association (NHSA). Jessica began her career at LCHS as a part-time classroom substitute in 2018 at LCHS’s former Pittston Primary location.

“I learned about the substitute position after speaking to my son’s Early Head Start family educator who knew about my love for children. However, obstacles with childcare made it difficult for me to commit to a full-time employment opportunity.  I was offered a part-time position that fit my schedule perfectly.”

In 2021, Jessica relocated to the Plains Head Start Center, where she served as the classroom aide. Jessica’s bilingual abilities were especially useful to help Spanish speaking children in the classroom.  She says the experience she had while working there made her want to further her education.    

“I watched the way the teacher helped the children.  It motivated me to want to do better. She taught both my children, but also gave me the confidence I needed to achieve my goal.”

Jessica learned about the opportunity to receive her CDA® certification through the online course with NHSA. Earning a CDA® credential demonstrates educators’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in the early childhood education field as well as their commitment to professional development. Traditionally, LCHS offers employees the opportunity to receive their CDA® certification through an in-person program with Keystone College.  Due to implications from COVID-19, the course was not available to LCHS employees this past year. The online course was paid for through LCHS’s professional development program.

Jessica said the program was rigorous, but the support she received helped her to successfully complete the online course.

“My experience with the program was challenging at first, because I prefer in-person learning. However, NHSA’s team was very helpful and never hesitated to answer my questions. I also received a lot of support and encouragement from my managers and co-workers.”

As she worked toward earning the certification, Jessica credited her own children with helping to keep her motivated.

“They would say to me, ‘Mommy, you can do it.’ This is what I always tell them, so hearing them coach me kept me moving toward my goal. I wanted to show them that you are never too old to go to school and that hard work is often rewarded with success.”

The reward for her hard work paid off. Jessica was one of three early childhood education professionals in the country and the first staff member at LCHS to complete the coursework needed to earn the CDA® certification through NHSA’s program. She finished the coursework in just 4 months. 

“I am grateful for the continued learning opportunity that LCHS provides to staff. My co-workers taught me how important it was to not give up, even when the work seemed overwhelming. I am thankful for their support in helping me to complete this journey.”  

This past fall, Jessica accepted the associate teacher position in classroom #3 at LCHS’s Beekman Street center. She works alongside her classroom’s teacher, Miss Katie. Jessica says that she hopes to eventually earn her associate degree in Early Childhood Education.

Jessica was recognized by the National Head Start Association during a webinar in November for her outstanding achievements. LCHS would like to congratulate Jessica on being the first employee to receive her CDA® through NHSA’s online certification program.

U.S. Senator, Robert P. Casey Jr., visited Luzerne County Head Start’s Beekman Street center in Wilkes-Barre. The Senator read to two classrooms of preschool aged children enrolled in LCHS’s early childhood education program. The purpose of the visit was to bring attention to the importance of early childhood education and the services Head Start provides to at-risk children and their families.

Senator Casey also spoke with Head Start leaders and parents who are part of the agency’s ‘ECE professional’ program done in partnership with Keystone College. The pilot program provides opportunities for parents to learn about what it takes to pursue a career in early childhood education and helps them to understand the mission of Head Start.

LCHS is an income-based program that provides early childhood education and comprehensive services to pregnant women, children birth to age five, and their families in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.

From left to right: Fran Langan, Keystone College, LCHS Board of Directors; Lynn Evans Biga, Executive Director, Luzerne County Head Start; Loriel Hinton, Elizabeth Tula, Angelina Alfaro, Head Start parents; Senator Robert P. Casey Jr.; Beth White, Assistant Executive Director, Luzerne County Head Start

State Senator, Marty Flynn, visited with 3 to 5-year-old children at Luzerne County Head Start, Inc.’s Beekman Street center in Wilkes-Barre, PA as part of Head Start Awareness Month.

The first-time State Senator was welcomed by two classrooms of children.  He read It Looked Like Spilt Milk and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See to the preschool children, and they rewarded him with high-fives!  

October was first proclaimed Head Start Awareness Month by President Ronald Reagan on October 22, 1982. Ever since, October has been a month for our community to celebrate the life changing impact of Head Start. 

Seven Mountains Media and My Bigfoot Legends, along with PNC Bank, teamed up with Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) to collect new books for preschool-aged children as part of its ‘Book it with Bigfoot’ campaign.

The book drive took place throughout the month of August at Luzerne County Head Start’s central office building in Wilkes-Barre.

The books will be distributed to three and four-year-old children who are enrolled in Head Start services at LCHS’s Beekman Street center.

LCHS is an income-based program that provides early childhood education and comprehensive services to pregnant women, children from birth through age five, and their families throughout Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) will provide its summer learning experience to children in the summer of 2023, thanks to a golf tournament sponsored by Navient, a loan management, servicing and asset recovery company.

The annual event held at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club in Mountain Top raised approximately $28,000 for LCHS’s Jump Start program. The program is a 4-week-long summer learning experience that offers comprehensive services for 30 eligible 3 and 4-year-old children who will attend LCHS in the fall.

This year marked the 16th year for the tournament that supports early learning experiences for children. In addition to the tournament, several businesses provided sponsorship and gift donations for raffle drawings and other prizes.

The Navient Community Fund also awarded an $8,000 grant to LCHS to support the summer learning program.

 

  

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. in conjunction with the Wilkes-Barre City Health Department and Maternal & Family Health Services will hold the second of two childhood nutrition events on Tues., Sept. 20th at the Head Start Beekman Street location in Wilkes-Barre from 11am – 3pm. Several community agencies that provide various services to families in need will be present. All families and their children are invited to attend this free event. There will be a bicycle helmet giveaway, samples of nutritious meals and more! The project is funded by the PA Dept. of Health’s Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant. The first childhood nutrition event was held back in June.

Hello, Early Head Start families! We are excited to re-introduce our Early Head Start newsletter. Please click the link below to read our Fall 2022 edition. We are also thrilled to announce our in-person socialization events have returned. The first socialization events were held at our Edwardsville and Wilkes-Barre centers on August 11th and 12th, respectively. It was wonderful to see all of our families and children in person. More to come later this month… stay tuned!

EARLY HEAD START FALL 2022 NEWSLETTER

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) will hold two separate recruitment events on Fri., July 29 at the Dallas Shopping Center along the Tunkhannock Highway in Dallas (near Fidelity Bank) and again on Mon., Aug. 1, in the parking lot of Dunham’s Sports at the Laurel Mall near Hazleton.

‘Woods Ice Cream Truck’ will serve hand-dipped ice cream to those who fill out an application for LCHS’s early childhood education program. The Early Head Start program provides home visiting services to qualified pregnant women and children birth to 3-years-old. The Head Start/Pre-K Counts program provides preschool services to children from three to 5-years-old.

Families who complete an intake or application will receive a ticket for a free ice cream for each person present. Both events will take place from noon to 3pm, while supplies last. 

LCHS is an income-based program that provides early childhood education and comprehensive services to pregnant women, children birth to age five, and their families in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.