Nearly one year after the pandemic forced the closure of schools across Pennsylvania, Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) will re-open 20 of its classrooms for in-person preschool services. Beginning Mon., March 15, Head Start/Pre-K Counts classrooms at 15 different sites in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties will once again offer in-person learning to 131 preschool-aged children.  This accounts for approximately 10% of children LCHS is funded to serve.  Classrooms have been closed for in-person learning since March of 2020, with the exception of two sites in Wyoming County, which opened for a brief period in November before closing again due to increasing COVID-19 cases.

Executive director, Lynn Evans Biga, said “The benefits of in-person preschool services for young children are invaluable.  They learn social and emotional skills, get healthy meals and exercise, mental health support and other services that cannot be easily replicated online.  We want our children back in the classroom.  We want to make sure they are fed, they play, they exercise, they learn, they explore and they make new friends.”

LCHS has put in place a number of protocols to ensure all staff and children are safe.  Class sizes will be limited to 10 students.  In most centers, classes will take place in a hybrid format Mon. through Thurs. for four hours each day.  Families who have children in classrooms that will offer in-person learning have the option to keep their children enrolled in virtual services.  Additionally, all staff and children will be required to wear face coverings, practice physical distancing and take part in extensive hand-washing.  Prior to arrival, each staff person is required to fill out a COVID-19 screening.  Temperatures of children will be taken upon entry into the classroom.  If a child becomes ill while at school, the child will be isolated with a staff member until a parent or guardian picks up the child.  Classrooms and high touch surfaces will also be cleaned and sanitized at the end of each school day. 

LCHS operates 23 Head Start/Pre-K Counts centers and five Early Head Start centers across Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.  Eight of its Head Start/Pre-K Counts sites and the Early Head Start home visiting program will continue services in full virtual operation.

 

 

 

February is National Children’s Dental Health month. To mark the occasion, the Third District Dental Society donated dental health bags to all Luzerne County Head Start children to help celebrate National Dental Health month. LCHS would like to thank Third District Dental Society, Wilkes-Barre Volunteers in Medicine and The United Way of Wyoming Valley for helping us keep children’s teeth healthy in February and all year round.

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. has elected two new members to serve on its Board of Directors. The new members include Lars H. Anderson, Esq., Wilkes-Barre and Andrea L. Caladie, CPA, Mountain Top.

Attorney Anderson is a shareholder of the Hourigan, Kluger and Quinn, PC law firm where he practices in the firm’s Kingston office. His practice focuses on labor and employment law, commercial litigation and zoning/telecommunications law. Anderson graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne with a dual Bachelor of Arts in political science and speech communication and received his Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law. Anderson is a member of the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club and a board member of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as President of the Wilkes- Barre City Little League and was a member of the Leadership Wilkes-Bare class of 2012-2013.

Caladie is an audit partner at Baker Tilly US LLP, a public accounting and consulting firm, located in Wilkes-Barre. She specializes in auditing colleges, universities, nonprofits and local governments. Caladie graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and received the “Top 25 Women in Business” award in 2014. Caladie serves as Treasurer of Circle 200 (forum for Senior Executive Women in Pennsylvania). She also serves as Treasurer and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre.

Additionally, Luzerne County Head Start has named George Rable President of its Board of Directors. Rable is employed as Vice President of Culture & People at Benco Dental in Pittston. Rable previously served as vice president of LCHS’s Board of Directors and has been a member of the Board since 2015.

Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) recently started its Parent Café program as a way to build lasting connections and establish a safe and supportive environment for parents/caregivers of the children LCHS serves.  The program is offered through “Be Strong Families” a nonprofit organization that works to nurture the spirit of family, promote well-being and prevent violence. Parent Cafes are physically and emotionally safe spaces where parents and caregivers talk about the challenges and victories of raising a family.  Participants explore their strengths, learn about Protective Factors, and create strategies from their own wisdom and experiences to help strengthen their families. 

A team of six including LCHS’s family engagement team, assistant executive director and one parent participated in a 3-day training in August of 2020 to be certified to conduct Parent Cafés within Luzerne County Head Start.  Since August, LCHS has held four cafés with families from our Edwardsville center.  Three more cafés are planned for the spring at another location within the agency. Another team of five from LCHS, including three family workers, two family educators and one parent recently received training.  They, too, are now able to facilitate Parent Cafés across the agency.

The Parent Café program falls in line with LCHS’s vision, which supports children growing and thriving in a nurturing environment of parents, family, neighborhood, and community where they and their families have options and opportunities for optimum growth, development, and learning.

(Article from the Citizen’s Voice – 12/16/20) The air inside Luzerne County Head Start facilities is now cleaner after the organization invested in high-end air purifiers designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19.

Head Start used federal pandemic relief grants to purchase 77 EnviroKlenz Air System Plus machines for its 26 facilities in Luzerne and Wyoming counties.

“Not all of our classrooms and offices have windows,” said Dawn Smith, director of operations for the local Head Start and chief of its COVID-19 reopening task force.

Children who attend Head Start are currently getting their instruction remotely, but staff members are reporting to the office.

While the organization has followed social distancing and cleaning guidelines, the air purifiers are an added level of protection, Smith said.

“I can’t say I noticed a big difference, but it makes us feel more confident and comfortable,” Smith said.

The devices, which cost $799 each, use advanced technology to capture and destroy airborne particulates, allergens, bacteria, and viruses. After the particles are trapped, an ultraviolet light kills them, according to the manufacturer Timilon Technology.

Smith said she did a lot of research about air quality since the pandemic struck. Since Head Start only owns two of the 26 facilities it operates, leaders figured the portable devices would be of good use.

“We purchased them to help with COVID when the children and families do come back to make them feel comfortable and safe,” Smith said. “But there’s always flu, there’s always other types of viruses happening. It’s just to have better air quality. It’s an investment now but it’s going to continue to be used forever.”

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. is conducting its 35^th annual merit-based, competitive scholarship program for former Head Start students graduating from high school in June 2021 and continuing their education. To date, the LCHS Alumni Scholarship Program has awarded 292 scholarships totaling $275,250.

In order to qualify, applicants must be graduating high school seniors who plan to pursue a post-secondary education and they must be able to show proof of enrollment in any Head Start program. The scholarships are provided through private sponsors including local businesses, charitable foundations and other community organizations.

To download the application, click HERE. All applications should be filled out and e-mailed to lchsscholarship@hsweb.org or mailed to Luzerne County Head Start, Inc., 23 Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, Attn: Lindsey Fredericks, community advocate. For more information, contact Lindsey Fredericks, community advocate, Luzerne County Head Start, Inc., 570-829-6231 or email lindseyf@hsweb.org.

PLEASE NOTE: All applications in their entirety must be submitted by 4pm on Friday, January 29, 2021 in order to be considered.

Beginning Mon., Nov. 9, Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) will re-open two Wyoming County Head Start classrooms for 20 preschool-aged children. The Head Start classrooms, located in the former Mehoopany Elementary School and Tunkhannock Intermediate School, have been closed for in-person learning since March when Gov. Wolf announced the closure of all Pennsylvania schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LCHS has been working closely with administrators at the Tunkhannock Area School District in preparation for these children to safely return to the classroom. The two Wyoming County Head Start centers will be the first classrooms at LCHS to offer in-person services since the March shutdown.

Executive director, Lynn Evans Biga, cited the relatively low number of positive COVID-19 cases in Wyoming County as the reason for re-opening these classrooms. “Information from the Pennsylvania Department of Health has shown a small number of COVID-19 cases among residents in Wyoming County. Based on the data and survey information from our families in Wyoming County and feedback from our LCHS COVID-19 taskforce, we feel this is a good place to slowly begin to re-open our in-person Head Start services.”

Classes will be limited to 10 children and will take place in a hybrid format from Mon. through Thurs. for 4.5 hours each day. Families have the option to keep their children enrolled in virtual services. All staff and children will be required to wear face coverings, practice social distancing, and take part in extensive hand-washing. Classrooms will be cleaned and sanitized at the end of each school day.

LCHS operates 23 Head Start/Pre-K Counts centers and five Early Head Start centers across Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. The additional 21 Head Start/Pre-K Counts centers and all Early Head Start centers will remain closed indefinitely for in-person learning. These centers will continue to operate using LCHS’s virtual services model.

The safety of our children, their families and our staff is our first priority at Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 health crisis, LCHS will offer at-home learning services to enrolled children and their families in our Early Head Start, Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs. Please review the information below to learn more about our virtual services.

Our most recent Annual Report to the Community is now available. The 2019-2020 publication summarizes the entire program year and highlights some of the major accomplishments that took place over the course of the year at LCHS. This year, the report also touches on the changes LCHS made to early childhood education and family services as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout our communities. The full report can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Early Head Start mom, Keisha, had fallen into some hard times during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Her husband had to quarantine for one month and was unable to work, leaving the family with one income.  Meanwhile, Keisha’s two-year-old daughter, Harmony was in need of a pair of expensive children’s eyeglasses.  However, the loss of income made it impossible for Keisha to purchase the glasses for Harmony. 

Keisha told her Early Head Start family educator about Harmony’s need for the children’s eyeglasses, and that she could not afford the expense.  Through the help of Early Head Start, she was connected with optometrist, Dr. Alan Frank, in Kingston.  Harmony was fitted for the glasses at the doctor’s office and recently received the eyeglasses, all expenses paid. Keisha says she is very thankful for the help she received through LCHS’s Early Head Start program and Dr. Alan Frank’s office.