Eligibility
Recruitment
Selection
Enrollment
Attendance
Family Advocacy
Download Enrollment Form Here
Forma de inscripción española aquí

Eligibility
To be eligible for Head Start, a child must be at least three years old, as determined by the cut-off date used by the local public school system (1305.4(a)). Nueces County Community Action Agency has used September 1, 2004 as the cut off date for the 2004-2005 school year.
Families must meet or fall below the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines to be eligible for Head Start Services. The few exceptions to this would be a child with a disability or a migrant family. At least 90% of the children in the Head Start Program must fall within the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, and up to 10% of the families in the program can exceed the income guidelines with special circumstances or approval of the Head Start Director.

Recruitment
Recruitment efforts are carried out throughout the program year, but concentrated in late spring for the new school year. Recruitment is the responsibility of the Family Advocates and the ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance) Coordinator. Methods of Recruitment include Word of Mouth, Flyers, Posters, Public Service Announcements, Community Partners, and Door-to-Door efforts.

Selection
The Head Start Program has established selection criteria used to assist in selecting children and families into the program. The selection criteria are based on information gathered from the Community Assessment. Along with the age and income of the child, the selection criteria assists in ranking children on a waiting list based on the needs of the child and/or family. The Head Start Program maintains a waiting list throughout the year.

Enrollment
Applications will be available beginning May 1, 2004, and may be picked up at any Head Start Center or at our Family Services Office at 1225 Agnes. A form is also available to download from this site. Enrollment for the 2004-2005 school years is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2004. All applications will need to be submitted at our office at 1225 Agnes. The Enrollment process is carried out by staff at the Family Services Office and 17 Family Advocates housed throughout the agency. Download application here.

Attendance
Attendance of Head Start children is monitored daily due to the fact that the agency must maintain an average daily attendance rate of 85%. Attendance is monitored daily by teachers, site managers, and the ERSEA Coordinator. Chronic absences are monitored and after 5 unexcused absences, the child will lose their slot in the program.

Family Advocates
A close partnership is made with Head Start staff and parents at the time of enrollment. The Family Advocates are usually the first staff to have contact with the family. They initiate the Family Partnership Agreement, they assist the parents in accessing Community Services and Resources, and they encourage Parent Involvement and Participation in the program. The families are encouraged to participate in a variety of ways, from volunteering in the classrooms, to serving on a council or board as a representative of their Head Start Center. Parents and families are strongly encouraged and invited to participate in the Family and Community Partnership’s Advisory Meetings that are held twice a year. The program offers frequent training opportunities for the families and encourages feedback and suggestions.