Become a Champion of Champlain Valley Head Start
The need for Champions. Champlain Valley Head Start is a federally funded child and family development program, primarily funded by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Although Head Start is funded by the federal government, in recent years Head Start programs across the country have been asked “to do more with less.” While funding levels remain relatively the same, expenses continue to increase, including the cost of food, space, utilities and health benefits for staff. At the same time, programs such as Champlain Valley Head Start remain committed to continuous innovation and high quality services for children and families. This is where the Champions come in.
Tooth Tutor Program. Champlain Valley Head Start is reaching out to donors and sponsors interested in funding innovative, value-added services for children and families which go above and beyond the minimum requirements of Head Start. In 2010, Northeast Delta Dental Foundation became the first of our Champions. Starting with the 2010-2011 school year, Northeast Delta Dental Foundation generously provided $84,000 in grant support for the Vermont Head Start / Early Head Start Tooth Tutor Dental Access Program. Since 2010, Delta Dental has continued to provide grant support for the Tooth Tutor Program each and every school year. With generous, ongoing support from Northeast Delta Dental Foundation, the Vermont Head Start / Early Head Start Tooth Tutor Program continues to be an overwhelming success, and numerous children have received expedited care for dental exams and, in some cases, for desperately needed oral treatment or surgery. Please click here to read about one of our tremendous success stories.
NAMASTE. The Champlain Valley region has experienced significant changes in demographics in the last two decades. In addition to having the highest population density of economically disadvantaged families and individuals in Vermont, Chittenden County is a resettlement site under the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program and home to a growing number of recent refugees and immigrants. In 2014, with a generous grant of $35,000 from the Hoehl Family Foundation, CVHS launched an effort to develop and implement innovative and collaborative models of service to better meet the needs of New American children and families living in Vermont and enrolled in Head Start. The CVHS New Americans and Supported Transition Elements (NAMASTE) project provides critical support in the form of professional, trained interpreters from Vermont Interpreting and Translating Services, a program of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, to work directly with Head Start children, families and staff. Working in collaboration with other service providers, NAMASTE provides increased support for New American children and families in accessing critically-needed services such as mental health, housing, literacy, job training and targeted early education and intervention. The Hoehl Family Foundation has continued support for this wonderful project with a generous, multi-year grant of $108,949 to support NAMASTE through the 2017-2018 school year.
Seeking additional Champions. Champlain Valley Head Start is seeking additional sponsors to be Champions of our innovative work and the projects we have planned. These projects include: enhanced food and nutrition programs for children and nutrition education for families; enhanced and expanded transportation services for children ages birth to five; and the continuation of the Head Start Early Learning Mentor Coach Program to enhance staff teaching practice, professional development, and child outcomes.
Please contact CVHS Director, Paul Behrman, at (802) 651-4180 ext. 201, to become a Champion of Champlain Valley Head Start and benefit the lives of children and families.
