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Head Start Awareness Month

October 2010 
Thank you for telling someone you know about Head Start!
Thank you classroom
Greetings!

October is National Head Start Awareness Month. Our centers have been preparing an array of fall activities to celebrate our special month within their area of the community. Fall also means the beginning of colder months ahead, read below about steps we're taking to ensure the neediest of our Head Start children have coats for the fall and winter season.
 
We have also worked to raise awareness through numerous venues and new initiatives with our board of directors which you can read more about in this newsletter. We even received a proclamation from Mayor Tom Leppert in honor of this month.
 
Head Start of Greater Dallas, Inc. also celebrates a 20-year milestone during 2010. For 20 years we have been the recipients of the grant funding necessary to help children and families be successful in school and in life. So tell someone you know about Head Start and encourage them to get involved - it's the best 20th birthday gift we could ask for!
 
Sincerely,
 
Wanda J. Smith
CEO
 
Proclamation group photo
 Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway (left) presented the proclamation to us October 6
Get Involved - Coats for Kids
 
Girl in jacketKeep Our Kids Warm This Fall and Winter
With preschool age children out-growing their previous year's jackets, the cost of purchasing new winter clothes can be overwhelming for parents.
 
The Head Start Board of Directors is seeking to address this need by launching the Head Start Coats For Kids Coat Drive Now - November 30th. There are numerous drop off locations already in place, however if your office or neighborhood would like to participate, please contact Shanika Hunter to get a bin and poster delivered to you to help us collect coats.
 
Donate new or gently used coats for children ages 6 months to 6 years and Head Start will ensure that the children from our most needy families get the coats they need to stay warm this winter season. You may also make a monetary donation by sending your check with "Coat Drive" in the memo line to Attn: Deneeco Young, HSGD Headquarters, 3954 Gannon Lane, Dallas, TX 75237.

Locations:
 - Thanksgiving Tower, lobby, 1601 Elm Street, Dallas
 - Comerica Tower, Management Offices Suite 2450, 1717 Main Street
 - Renaissance Tower, upper and lower lobbies, 1501 Elm Street
 - Head Start Central Office, 3954 Gannon Lane, Dallas, TX 75237

Visit our web site for more information.
Volunteer Spotlight - Ernst & Young
 
Ernst & Young Volunteers Give Centers Much Needed Facelifts During E&Y Connect Day
September 30th brought five of our Head Start Centers more than 50 volunteers for a half-day of hard work. In partnership with the Volunteer Center of North Texas, E&Y employees pitched in at A.M. Brooks, Bachman, David's Place, Gannon and Grand Prairie centers to paint, landscape, organize and clean! Their generous donation of time counted as dollars and raised more than $2,600 towards Head Start's nonfederal goal. Thank you E&Y for your time and willingness to help our centers be better places for our staff to work and our students to learn!
Music & Rhythm at David's Place
 
Damean violinDavid's Place Students Begin Violin Lessons Through Generous Donation
The teachers at David's Place Head Start Center in Jubilee Park call four-year old Damian Salas (pictured left) the "Dancing Machine"! His love of all things music, including Justin Bieber songs and playing air guitar on the playground, will be fostered this semester through a generous donation by a local supporter.
 
Damian and eight other David's Place preschoolers will be participating in weekly violin lessons with Dallas Opera violinist and teacher Sarah Carmichael. Lessons began this month with students learning the different parts of the violin, proper stances and rhythm identification. The miniature violins have been ordered and will be in for the students' next lesson.
 
Children were chosen to participate based on their musical inclination as determined by their teachers and parental support. According to Save the Music Foundation, "music education is not only important for its intrinsic value, but research consistently demonstrates that students who study an instrument enhance their critical thinking skills and their ability to work together as a team. They are more engaged in school and less likely to drop out; and they do significantly better in all of their academic endeavors."
 
This new and innovative idea to incorporate music into the children's early learning experience was made possible through the generous contribution of David's Place supporter Mike Witte, an EnCana Oil & Gas engineer. EnCana committed to matching Mr. Witte's donations and the program is now funded through the end of the year, violin's included! When asked why music, Mr. Witte responded, "I couldn't tell you the first thing about violin, but every kid should have something in their life to look forward to."
 
Thanks Mike and thanks EnCana for exposing our children to the enriching experience of music.
 
If you are interested in helping us expand and continue the program, please contact Deneeco Young at 972-283-6457.
Board Member Highlight
 
Ron, Tammy, WandaHead Start Classroom to Head Start Board Room
We love to hear about Head Start students who overcome obstacles to become successful in life. One success story is particularly unique - from the Head Start Classroom to the Head Start Board Room, Ronald L. Jeans is an excellent example of the benefits of early childhood education. 
 
Mr. Ronald L. Jeans, newly elected member of the Head Start of Greater Dallas Board of Directors and Vice President of National Accounts for Dr Pepper Snapple Group is a former Head Start student.
 
As a pre-school student, Mr. Jeans had the opportunity to attend a Head Start program while living with his grandparents outside Memphis, TN. "For me, Head Start was a beacon of light, a positive influence amidst all of the negative activities that go on in a community," said Mr. Jeans.
 
The foundation of learning was established and prepared a young boy who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to get a head start on his education to be a top student throughout his school career.  He had strong role models in his grandparents who instilled in him a strong work ethic and helped build his faith.
 
Recruited by Dr Pepper after graduation from Morehouse College 19 years ago he credits his family and faith for getting him where he is today. When asked why he chose to volunteer on the board at Head Start of Greater Dallas he responded, "It was an opportunity to give back to an organization that helped establish my educational foundation."
 
Thank you Mr. Jeans for your dedication to our organzation!
Support Head Start - Volunteer Today!
Head Start of Greater Dallas' mission is to provide children with the foundation of skills and knowledge they need to be successful in school and life and foster self-reliant families and communities.

The agency receives 80 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Head Start of Greater Dallas generates the remaining 20 percent or nearly $8,000,000, through contributions, grants, community donations, and volunteer hours each year. 

Your time volunteering is valuable. We can't reach this goal without the support of the community.To become a community volunteer, contact Deneeco Young at 972.283.6457, or visit our web site.

Community contributions of time, leadership, finances and other resources are much appreciated and allow us to serve the growing demographic that needs us so much. With your support, Head Start families are able to receive a range of services that are far beyond the scope of the program. 

To learn more about our mission and comprehensive services to more than 4,400 children in Dallas County, please visit our website at www.hsgd.org.
In This Issue
Head Start Coat Drive
Ernst & Young Volunteers
Music Lessons at David's Place
Classroom to Board Room
Quick Links
Child Writing
Head Start Facts: 
* Children who attend Head Start programs are more likely to:
*Graduate from high school
* Attend College
* And rank higher in language, literacy, and social and physical conduct
than those children who do not.
 
Tell someone you know about the benefits of Head Start or log on to Find us on Facebook and tell your friends! Just copy and paste your favorite fact!
 
Kids pose with Astronaut
NASA Astronaut Visits Seagoville Head Start Center
Astronaut Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger paid a visit to our Seagoville Head Start Center this month. A former earth science and astronomy teacher at Hudson Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington, she was selected by NASA in May 2004 to be a Mission Specialist and traveled to the moon in April of 2010.
Seagoville was selected last year to be part of a NASA Science and Discovery program. NASA purchases computers for each of the five Head Start Pre-k classrooms. Students learn about science and math through this exciting opportunity!
Head Start Teachers 2
Head Start of Greater Dallas Receives Mentoring Grant 
Head Start is one of the recipients of the Head Start Early Learner Mentor Coaches Program. The $225,000 grant through the national office of Head Start enables HSGD to work with
Mi Escuelita and ChildCareGroup to provide extensive mentoring for 20 teachers from each organization.  This work entails teaching our staff to better provide educational services to the children we serve. 
 
 
Halloween Safety
If your children are going trick or treating this Hallween, remember these tips to keep them safe:
 
* Purchase reflective costumes
* Carry a flashlight
* Eat a healthy dinner beforehand
* Plan your route
* Stay in groups
* Only go to houses with porch lights on
* Before eating have an adult check treats
 
For a complete list click here.
Jerry Junkins
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Help us celebrate long-time honored supporter of Head Start of Greater Dallas and former president and CEO of Texas Instruments, Jerry R. Junkins.
 
On November 10th at 10 a.m., our Mesquite Head Start Center will become the Jerry Junkins R. Head Start Center. Join us as we dedicate this center in memory of a man whose passion was helping children succeed in life.
 

 
 
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