Giving Children A “Head Start”

Head Start, a government-funded preschool program, prepares young children for school, provides a firm social foundation, and verifies that every individual in their care is healthy.

Minden Head Start, a program of Community Action Partnership of Mid Nebraska located at 506 South Nance Street, enrolls seventeen children per year, and the facility accepts all willing participants, however, those families with the highest need are accepted into the program first. Need is determined by age, income, parental status and disability.

“Anyone can come and apply.” Shari Strobel, the Minden Center Director, said.

Head Start offers experiences that not many other methods can match. For children, the transition from living at home to attending school and being separated from their parents is often a major shock. It can be rough for many young students, and Head Start offers a way for children to cope with the change by teaching children routines and easing them into the longer days of kindergarten and elementary school.

The full article can be found in the January 30, 2013, edition of the Minden Courier.