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Head Start |
Head Start Internship Opportunities
For Further Information Please Contact:
Head Start Education Coordinator, Sandra Graves
802-651-4180
Head Start is a free, national child development program which provides preschool children with educational opportunities that help prepare them for kindergarten. Head Start also assists and supports families in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Champlain Valley Head Start serves children and families in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties by providing them with comprehensive, family-centered services in the areas of education, health, nutrition and social services.
An internship with Champlain Valley Head Start provides students with a first-hand look at the benefits and challenges of working within a federally funded, non-profit organization to serve families with limited financial resources. Champlain Valley Head Start offers a variety of internships, from management research to providing direct service to children and families within our program. The following are a few examples of our internships. We also welcome written proposals for new ideas that will help students develop in their field of study.
Direct Service Opportunities Working With Children:
Classroom Educators/ Volunteers: Within a play based curriculum, children who attend Head Start participate in a variety of educational activities to help develop their cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills. We are seeking interns to work with our teachers or to lead weekly classroom activities to enhance our curriculum in the areas of literacy and language development, art, science, math nutrition, dramatic play, music, healthy self-concept, personal safety, etc.
Special Support: Champlain Valley Head Start works with correctional facilities to ensure that the children of incarcerated parents are given support and access to education through our program. We are seeking an intern or interns who have expertise or experience working with these children to offer support to children and parents as they address the challenges specific to having an incarcerated family member.
Nutrition Educator: Balanced nutrition and exercise are key aspects for promoting healthy development in children and protecting the overall health of the family. A key aspect of this is helping families understand the benefits of healthful eating and exercise. We are seeking an intern or interns to develop a monthly information packet for parents which would include ways for the family to extend classroom nutrition/health activities to their own homes. The intern(s) would also have the opportunity to work in classrooms with children on nutrition education, exercise and cooking projects.
Direct Service Opportunities for Parent Support:
Parent Support Group: Many of our Head Start parents face challenges that leave them feeling alienated and alone. The parent support group is one way to connect these parents with others that are facing the same challenges. The support group is a way to provide a fun, relaxing activity for parents that allows them to share ideas and information. The student would have the opportunity to co-facilitate parent support groups, gather information to share with families and plan activities. One example is a weekly or bi-weekly breakfast with families enrolled in our Burlington Boys and Girls Club and/or Winooski Centers.
Special Education Support Group: Champlain Valley Head Start has a strong commitment to supporting children with special needs. A key aspect in this support is providing special education information to parents. We are seeking an intern or interns with knowledge in the field of special education to facilitate and lead information or discussion groups with parents, either at one of our sites or at a central location.
Parent Education Sessions: Champlain Valley Head Start works to provide education to parents on a variety of topics related to education, parenting and healthy living. We are seeking students to facilitate and present small, informal parent education sessions in all of the counties we serve. Possible topics include: nutrition, exercise, positive discipline, household safety, home education activities, etc.
Opportunities in our Administrative Offices:
Marketing Research: Champlain Valley Head Start mainly provides service to families at or below federal poverty levels. We are seeking a research intern to make our program recruitment efforts more effective by targeting unreached areas/populations in our counties. The intern would be responsible for finding these areas and researching the best means of targeting these families for enrollment.
Resource Research: Champlain Valley Head Start maintains up-to-date directories of the resources available for families and educators in the areas of education, health and mental health, special needs, social services, nutrition, parent/adult learning opportunities and social services. We are seeking an intern to update these already existing directories for the upcoming program year.
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