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The object of the Head Start Mental Health Services is to focus
on building healthy relationships among children, families, and
staff. The areas of mental wellness consist of social-emotional,
intellectual, and physical well-being. Social-emotional wellness
is the ability to make friends, to cooperate with others, and to
accept your feelings and self-image. Intellectual wellness is having
the ability to gather knowledge through stimulating learning experiences.
Physical wellness refers to the health of your body which is achieved
through exercise and proper nutrition.
Number of Staff in Service Area
There is one Mental Health Coordinator
Purpose/Expectations
The purpose of the Head Start Program Mental Health Services, is
to maintain the well-being of children, families, and staff. The
Head Start Program accomplishes this by providing prevention, intervention,
and treatment services to children, families, and staff.
Assessment Tools
Currently the Head Start Program use two tools to conduct the mental
health screenings. They are the Devereux Early Childhood Education
Assessment (DECA) and the Mental Health Behavior Checklist. In 2002-2003
the Head Start Program piloted the DECA screening instrument in
five preschool classrooms at Kids of the Neighborhood site. The
screening instrument is administered by the classroom staff three
times a year and administered by the parent twice a year to continually
assess the status and progress of the children’s social and
emotional development. The following year, 2003-2004, 7 more sites
were added and this year, 2004-2005, there are a told of 13 sites
using the DECA screening instrument. Each year we will continue
to add sites until all our Head Start sites are using the DECA.
Special Activities
The Head Start Program consults with a mental health professional
to provide two classroom observations, to observe group socialization
experiences and to provide suggestions for improving the classroom
environment. Another special activity is Lunch Bunch. Lunch Bunch
meets every second Tuesday of the month during the noon hour. The
dietitian consultant and the Mental Health Consultant talk to families
about healthy eating habits and behaviors.
Advisory Committee
Disabilities/Mental Health Advisory is comprised of parents, mental
health professionals and community partners who address Head Start
Disabilities and Mental Health issues. The committee also discusses,
reviews, and approves program policies and procedures. Lunch is
provided.
Communication/Technology
The Head Start Program Mental Health Coordinator and DECA site teaching
staff use the e-DECA purchased from the Devereux Foundation to rate,
score and track the mental health screenings. The e-DECA is a web-based
computer program that administers the assessment online, completes
all scoring, stores results in a database, and generates numeric
and graphic summaries of results.
For additional information regarding the Head Start Mental Health
Services, please contact Liza Contreras at (361) 883-7201 ext.19
or e-mail me at lcontreras@nccaatx.org
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