San Diego Museum Council and Neighborhood House Association’s Head Start Partner in October
October is Head Start Awareness Month and Kids Free San Diego
This October, the San Diego Museum Council and Neighborhood House Association’s Head Start program are partnering for Kids Free San Diego and Head Start Awareness Month in an effort to increase enrollment in Head Start and offer free admission for families to museums.
“We are looking forward to increasing awareness of and participation in our Early Head Start and Head Start child development programs and to offer income-eligible families free admission to local museums through this partnership,” said Damon Carson, JD, Neighborhood House Association’s General Manager of Education, Instruction, and Operations. “We offer an array of services for the whole family that many in San Diego aren’t even aware of. Our hope is that we are able to ensure qualifying families get the support they need.”
Through this partnership, interested families are asked to fill out a Head Start pre-application and if they qualify for the program, they will receive access to museums that grant free admission for the whole family. Families will also receive more information about Head Start services but there is no obligation to enroll. Pre-applications are available online, over the phone (1-888-873-5145) as well as at in-person outreach events being conducted between now and the end of October. Get ready to discover, explore and learn. Apply in-person at outreach events, by telephone (1-888-873-5145) or online here.
“Museums are such a great way for families to spend quality time together,” said Bob Lehman, San Diego Museum Council Executive Director. “This partnership is the perfect opportunity for us to show how San Diego’s museums are working to make themselves accessible to all neighborhoods and communities.”
Neighborhood House Association’s Head Start program provides eligible families (income, foster care, disabilities, housing insecure) with children 0-5 in San Diego County with high-quality early childhood development services. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as Head Start Awareness Month and since then the program has helped over eight million low-income preschool children and their families nation-wide. Kids Free San Diego allows kids 12 and under to receive free admission at many art, cultural, and science museums and historical sites in San Diego County.
Early Head Start focuses on children birth to three years of age, as well as pregnant and postpartum, low-income women. Comprehensive services include parenting classes, family support, and health, nutrition, dental, and mental health services for children. NHA Head Start preschool programs provide comprehensive services to children ages 3 – 5 years of age. The program’s curriculum is research-based, individualized, developmentally appropriate and is designed to develop Kindergarten readiness skills. For more information, visit www.neighborhoodhouse.org/nha-programs/head-start/.
