As part of the 2019 re-branding plan, Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. recently launched a billboard campaign across Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.  The campaign was put together in collaboration with Posture Interactive, the digital marketing agency in Scranton that helped LCHS develop its new image.  The campaign focuses on how Head Start helps young children acquire the skills they need to learn and grow.
Eighteen billboards that will run from November through mid-January feature five designs that show how good habits such as regular tooth brushing and eating healthy allow children to grow and develop into successful young adults.  The billboards also feature LCHS’s new motto, Moving Families Forward, along with the agency’s website and phone number.
Please see the information below for a list of billboard locations and the dates they are scheduled to run.

Running approximately November 4, 2019 through December 2, 2019

• Shavertown, Luzerne Co. – Route 309 @ Holcomb Rd.
• West Hazleton, Luzerne Co. – Route 93, approximately ¼ mile north of the Valmont Plaza
• Edwardsville, Luzerne Co. – Route 11 North @ Sunoco Fuel Tanks  
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – Route 309 opposite of Wegmans
• Exeter, Luzerne Co. ­– Route 11 @ Wyoming Homes
• Hazle Twp., Luzerne Co. – Route 924, approximately .7 miles west of Hazleton
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – 530 Blackman St. off bypass
• Nanticoke, Luzerne Co. – West Main St., north of Alden Road
• Plains, Luzerne Co. – River Rd., south of the 8^th Street Bridge   

Running approximately December 16, 2019 through January 26, 2020

• Plains, Luzerne Co. – River St., approximately 1/10 mile south of the Cross Valley Expy.
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – Route 309 opposite of Wegmans
• Dallas, Luzerne Co. – Route 309, opposite M&T Bank
• Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co. – N. River Rd. @ Antonio’s Pizza
• Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co. –  Route 29 @ Wachovia Bank
• Wilkes-Barre Twp., Luzerne Co. – 530 Blackman St. off bypass
• *Three additional locations in Luzerne County to be announced in December

In honor of Head Start Awareness Month, Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) welcomed guest readers, Margo Serafini, principal at Kistler Elementary School in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District and reading specialist, Sandy Atherton.  Ms. Serafini and Ms. Atherton enjoyed breakfast with three and four-year old children who are enrolled in the Head Start program at LCHS’s Beekman Street, Wilkes-Barre center. The two then read and acted out the book “The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything.” Each child also received a book to take home. The visit was part of the National Head Start Association’s “Bring a Principal to Head Start” initiative. The celebration coincided with Head Start Awareness Month and National Principals Month. 

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. is conducting its 34^th annual merit-based, competitive scholarship program for former Head Start students graduating from high school in June 2020 and continuing their education. To date, the LCHS Alumni Scholarship Program has awarded 272 scholarships totaling $256,750.

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 24, 2020 in order to be considered.

Employees from Geisinger Health System made a special trip to Luzerne County Head Start’s (LCHS) Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre location. They were invited to make pancakes for children alongside Head Start kitchen staff. Following the meal preparation, Geisinger staff sat down and enjoyed breakfast with children in classroom #16 and took part in a number of activities with the boys and girls.

Geisinger is one of many community partners who help LCHS to provide comprehensive services to children and their families enrolled in the Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs.

The mission of the Geisinger Health System is to enhance the quality of life through an integrated health service organization based on a balanced program of patient care, education, research and community service.

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. is the 2019 recipient of the the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s Healthy Workplace Award. The awards program recognizes businesses and individuals throughout the Greater Wilkes-Barre area in a number of different categories. The Healthy Workplace Award is presented to a business or businesses in Luzerne County that promote health and wellness within their organizations.

Over the past year, LCHS’s newly formed health and wellness committee has worked diligently toward promoting health and wellness initiatives in the workplace. Additionally, LCHS’s employee wellness program allows all staff the option to receive flu shots, blood pressure checks and bone density tests. Employees also participate in the annual March Mayhem step competition; the winners are awarded gift cards as a token for their success.

LCHS is one of four organizations in Luzerne County that will accept the 2019 Healthy Workplace Award at The Chamber’s annual dinner in November.

October is Head Start Awareness month and children enrolled in Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) welcomed a guest reader to their classrooms to celebrate.  LCHS’s Edwardsville center held a special guest reader day to support this month-long initiative, where State Rep. Aaron Kaufer was invited to visit the children.  He spent some time in each of the three Head Start classrooms reading the book, “Peanut Butter and Jelly” to the boys and girls.

Head Start is an income-based program that was created in 1965 to provide comprehensive health, nutrition, and educational opportunities for America’s most vulnerable children and their families.  President Reagan first proclaimed October as Head Start Awareness Month on Oct. 22, 1982.  LCHS provides Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts services to more than 1,200 children birth to age five, their families, and women who are pregnant in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. recently hosted a health and wellness fair to provide community-based partners and Head Start parents with training on how to help children and take care of oneself.  The free event was held at The Woodlands near Wilkes-Barre and was open to any parent enrolled in LCHS’s program, as well as a number of community organizations who provide services to young children and families. Dr. Neal M. Horen, director of early childhood at Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development, spoke to both parents and professionals about the importance of emotional wellness, stress reduction, support systems and self-care.  Parents listened to a number of guest speakers who provided valuable information about medical and oral care for children, as well as substance abuse disorders.  More than 20 vendors were on hand to let parents know about resources that are available to them in the community.  Health and wellness giveaways were handed out to participants and parents had the chance to win a number of raffle baskets.  The event was made possible by a one-time grant from the Pennsylvania Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.

Luzerne County Head Start’s Pre-K Counts center, located inside Church of Christ Uniting, Kingston, recently received a $250 donation from Community Bank as part of National Good Neighbor Day.  National Good Neighbor Day is celebrated annually on Sept. 28 as a day of gratitude and community building.  LCHS was among several local nonprofits that benefited from this community initiative.  In addition to the donation, a representative from the Wyoming Ave., Kingston branch of Community Bank dropped off school supplies and children’s books for each boy and girl in the classroom. Good Neighbor Day was proclaimed a national day by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 to raise public awareness that good neighbors help achieve human understanding and build strong, thriving communities.

Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) will continue to provide its summer learning experience to children, thanks to a golf tournament sponsored by Navient, a leading asset management and business processing services company. The annual event, held at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club near Mountain Top, raised approximately $28,000 for LCHS’s Jump Start program.  Jump Start 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. 

In addition to the tournament, several businesses provided sponsorship and gift donations for raffle drawings and other prizes.  Since the golf tournament’s inception, Navient has raised approximately $250,000 for LCHS.  Navient Foundation, the company-sponsored philanthropic organization, also awarded an $8,000 grant to help support the program. 

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.

Luzerne County Head Start was recently featured in the Times Leader newspaper’s August 2019 special supplement, titled “Valley with a Heart.” The article highlights the history of LCHS, its mission and changes for the 2019-2020 program year.