Santa Barbara County’s Head Start Program celebrated its high classroom assessment scores Thursday and thanked Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, for her continuing support of the program.
The Community Action Commission’s Head Start program gets children and their families involved in education early on, with care and classes for infants, toddlers and preschoolers from low-income households.
After testers spent a week observing 25 classrooms in Santa Barbara County, the county received a comprehensive scorecard with results above the national average in every category.
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System examines student-teacher interactions, and local classes scored high in positive climate, teacher sensitivity, productivity and other areas.
“They told us what we already knew: Head Start in Santa Barbara County is not just good, it’s excellent,” sad Bill Cirone, Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools.
Community Action Commission director Fran Forman said the families deserve credit for the program’s success, since children learn the most outside of the classroom. She said community partnerships and support from local politicians help keep the program funded and successful.
Capps was thanked for her advocacy of early education programs and is being honored as the 2012 Friend of Head Start for the California Head Start Association.
She said that no matter how tight state and federal budgets get, the huge return on investment for these programs is obvious in the long run.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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