Children are determined eligible for the program based on the following criteria:
- Location - Families must reside in either Breckinridge or Grayson County boundaries to be eligible for the program. Exceptions may be made for circumstances where services are unavailable in their own areas, or upon mutual agreement with other programs.
- Age - Grayson County serves both Head Start and Early Head Start. Head Start children must be at least 3 years or older and under age 5 by August 1 of the current school year. Early Head Start’s main Leitchfield center serves children from age 12 months up to age 3. Breckinridge County serves children in a home base option, which includes pre-natal up to 36 months of age and also have 1 Center Based Classroom. Breckinridge County school systems offer a center-based option for Head Start.
- Income - Children enrolled must come from a family with an income below the federal poverty guidelines.
- Disability - Ten percent of enrollment slots must be devoted to children with a disability. Diagnosed disabilities may include speech, hearing, vision, developmental delay, physical disability, etc.
Breckinridge-Grayson Programs partners with numerous community agencies to ensure families needing Head Start services are recruited. We have formal agreements with the Health Departments, Community Based Services, First Steps, county school boards, Community Action Agencies, pediatricians, and many others. Newspaper ads, flyers, banners, and posters inform families of potential openings in the program. Families must complete an application for enrollment; which includes, meeting all of the eligibility requirements. Completed applications are kept until an opening in the program is declared. The program is required to keep a wait list for each program option to ensure vacancies are filled in a timely manner.
IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR THE PROGRAM TO DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, DISABILITY, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
Children are given points in a variety of areas according to their family’s circumstances. The areas for receiving points include: Parent Status, Disability, Income, Age, Health, Social Services, and Family Crisis. The points are totaled and children's names are listed in order of points on the wait list. The children with the highest number of points are offered the opportunity to fill vacancies as they arise. Once a family is contacted regarding an opening, arrangements will be made to complete the enrollment process.
Once a child has been selected from the wait-list and accepted into the program, the family is assigned a Family Service Coordinator, who works with the family in all areas of the program: Education, Health, Family Services, Parent Involvement, and Transition. Arrangements are made to begin the child in their program option.
Home based families are expected to complete weekly home visits and attend scheduled socializations. Center based children are expected to attend every day they are scheduled, unless there is a family or health related situation which causes an absence. Attendance is monitored on a daily basis to ensure spots are being used to their fullest potential. FA staff must follow-up with families of children that have absences to offer assistance with concerns that may be causing absenteeism.
