Recently, Lindisfarne Productions created a video series for ABC Head Start Society. The purpose of the series is to inform parents about enrollment and services provided by their Head Start Program.
What they do at ABC Head Start
ABC Head Start Society is “a comprehensive family support, early learning, and community connection program for families with young children.” We spoke to ABC Head Start educators Kara, Denis, and Megan to tell us more about the program.
Kara told us that at ABC Head Start “we don’t just focus on the children, we focus on the whole picture.” All of the staff at ABC Head Start told us that it is very important for staff to work together with parents and families. In general, children who have families that are actively involved in their education do better. Particularly, ABC Head Start embraces children who can’t communicate or have behaviour challenges. They want those children in the program so they can succeed, grow, and be successful in grade school.
The staff at ABC Head Start taught our team all about early childhood development and how they work together in an interdisciplinary team to support each child.
The Impact of ABC Head Start
Our crew also had the opportunity to interview two ABC Head Start alumni parents; Lindsey and Jennifer.
Lindsey is a recent immigrant to Edmonton. With her limited English, Lindsey was worried that with her daughter would have difficulty starting pre-school. Not only did ABC Head Start helped develop her English language skills, but with her peer interactions and her confidence levels as well. ABC Head Start helped Lindsey and her family get more settled in their new home in Canada.
Jennifer was low income and needed help finding affordable supports. With few resources, Jennifer was worried her children would not be prepared for Kindergarten. ABC Head Start helped her children develop the practical and personal skills to start grade school. In addition to support, Jennifer felt that ABC Head Start brought dignity to her situation. ABC Head Start develops programs that focus on the needs of each child.
Lindsey and Jennifer told us how important programs such as ABC Head Start are to our communities and what kind of impact it had on their family.
We loved interacting with the kids and filming in Edmonton at their Westmount and Millwoods locations. The crew had a lot of fun interviewing staff and parents about their experiences.