HEAD START
Overview
Chesterfield-Marlboro EOC Head Start three to five year olds is a school readiness program that provides comprehensive child development services to eligible families. The overall mission of CMEOC is to improve motor skills, self-esteem and the quality of life in three to five year olds through cooperative and collaborative services by governing bodies, parents and staff. Children and their families are provided a variety of experiences which will broaden their horizons and their understanding of the world in which they live, expand their thinking, improve their health, build self-confidence and self-concepts that will better assist them living with themselves and others.
Our Staff:
CMEOC employs highly trained staff that works with the children and their families in a variety of settings to provide a strong foundation for school readiness and long term success in school and family self-reliance.
Our Beginning:
Head Start began in 1965 as a part of President Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty, Head Start is an early childhood education program that serves low-income children with an emphasis on health, nutrition and parental involvement. Head Start program services and resources are intended to nurture stable family relationships, enhance children's physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. Head Start helps to create healthy development in low-income children ages three to five. Head Start affords preschoolers with the ability to engage successfully with their peers outside of the family network, adjust to the space of a classroom, and meet the expectations the school setting provides three to five year olds.
Volunteers:
We Need You!
Community Involvement and Referral of Children with Special Needs
CMEOC Head Start welcomes and appreciates all referrals from our Community Partners. Community agencies such as BabyNet, Department of Social Services, The Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), local pediatricians, School Districts, Mental Health Clinics, DHEC, The School for the Deaf and Blind and among many others.
Family Engagement
CMEOC three to Five year olds Family Engagement service’s build’s relationship’s with families that support family well-being, strong relationships between parents and their children, and ongoing learning and development for both parents and children. Our ultimate goal is for all families to be self-reliant. Our staff provides parents with opportunities for growth as they learn to identify their own strengths, needs, interests and find their own solutions; nurture the development of their children within their family and culture; and build trust and collaborative relationships between parents, staff and the community. We depend on our Parents, Families and the community to make our program successful.
The staff encourages and builds family relationships by:
Additional Resources:
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family
How to apply:
CMEOC three to five-year old’s is currently accepting applications for the 2020-2021 School Year, which begins August 20, 2020
Priority is given to families that are:
» Homeless
» In Foster Care
» Receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
» Receiving Social Security Income
» Low-income (based on Federal poverty guidelines)
» Children with special needs/disabilities
There is no cost for our services.
Getting Started
Thank you for submitting your enrollment application. What Happens Next?
Things to Keep in Mind
You must bring the following documents to the interview:
*The Office of Head Start defines FAMILY as:
1. All persons living in the home supported by the applicant's parent/guardian
2. Related to the parent/guardian by blood, marriage, or adoption
If the person attempting to complete the application is not the parent of the applicant, documents (custody agreements, guardianship/caregiver orders, signed parental statements, foster care contract) giving permission to apply for educational and health services should be provided if available.
APPLICATION FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION
SELECTED FOR ENROLLMENT If your child is selected for enrollment, (the parent/guardian), will receive an Application Update Letter, which will inform you of what steps are required for completion of the enrollment process. This process will include having to return to complete Registration forms.
WAITLIST If your child is not selected, parent/guardian will receive a Waitlist Letter and the child will be placed on a center waitlist according to your address or parent's request. This will not guarantee your child a slot this year, but does leave that possibility open when vacancies do occur.
If you have additional enrollment question’s contact:
Ernestine H. Melton, Family and Community Partnership Manager at emelton@cmeoc.org
Meet our Family Service Coordinators:
Carol Galloway McColl Head Start cgalloway@cmeoc.org
Yvette Burns Cheraw/Blenheim Head Starts yburns@cmeoc.org
Valerie Ellerbe Chesterfield/Ruby Head Starts vellerbe@cmeoc.org
Katie Harrington Pageland Head Start dharrington@cmeoc.org
Bernice Linton Cheraw Head Start blinton@cmeoc.org
Gwendolyn Hooks Blenheim Head Start ghooks@cmeoc.org
Our Centers:
The program operates six (6) centers with 25 classrooms. We have Centers located in Cheraw, Chesterfield, McBee, Pageland, Blenheim and McColl. All six (6) centers are endorsed by the South Carolina ABC Voucher program and are licensed by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Head Start Center Directory
Cheraw Head Start P.O. Box 877 1345A Dizzy Gillespie Drive Cheraw, SC 29520 843-537-5248 Conelia Smith , Center Manager |
McBee Head Start P.O. Box 497 168 Union Church Road McBee, SC 29101 843-335-6506 Rene Tyson, Head Teacher |
Ruby Head Start 109 McKenzie Street Chesterfield, SC 843-623-2072 Kim Bowen, Head Teacher |
Pageland Head Start P.O. Box 955 405A Gum Street Pageland, SC 29728 843-253-5041 Marietta Melton-Burch, Center Manage |
McColl Head Start P.O. 453 311 Church Street McColl, SC 29570 843-253-5041 Mae Bostic, Head Start |
Blenheim Head Start P.O Box 126 2809 Polston Farm Road Blenheim, SC 29516 843-528-3465 Barbara Little, Center Manager |