Head Start begins Aug. 28

For hundreds of excited boys and girls, Aug. 28 marks the first day of school for the school year at all 13 St. Mary-Vermilion CAA Head Start centers throughout St. Mary and Vermilion Parishes.
“Head Start is a place where dreams are awakened, and the classroom is the stage where the script is full of positive learning in an environment where mental magic happens and lives are changed every day,” Chief Executive Officer Almetra J. Franklin said. “Our teachers have spent the past couple of weeks in training on CLASS, TS Gold etc. to ensure that they understand the importance of instilling school readiness goals in all classroom activities.”
Franklin added that the education provided give the children and families educational building blocks they need to be prepared for kindergarten, elementary and beyond.
Education Supervisors, Dana Comeaux and Melanda Butaud expressed excitement for the upcoming school year. “The staff here at Head Start is determined to think outside of the box, and use different strategies to keep our students engaged and interested in new ways of learning,” Comeaux said. “This is going to be the best year yet, because our staff is excited and eager to meet the new families and students. We have been preparing all summer to hit the ground running.”
Butaud said nearly 80 percent of the teaching staff has their degree in childhood education or are in pursuit of their degrees. “We are proud to assure our parents that from the very first day your child walks through our doors, they will be loved, cared for, and taught by the very best qualified teachers Head Start has to offer,” Butaud said.
The dates of mandatory parent orientations for the 2017-2018 school year are:
—Aug. 22 at the Patterson Civic Center beginning at 5:00 p.m. for parents whose children are attending any of the east end centers (Cinderella, Yogi Bear, Tweety Bird, Winnie the Pooh and Baby Bear)
—Aug. 23 at the Broussard Harris Recreation Center at 5:00 p.m. for parents whose children are attending any of the west end Centers (Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Bambi and Peter Pan)