Wow is it summer already?

Anyone who works at Head Start knows what in-kind is. For those of you who don't know what it is, here is a run down of what it is and what it does.

In order to continue receiving Federal Funding, every Head Start program must receive donations from the community. These donations are called “In-Kind” donations and they must equal at least 25% of the total dollar amount that comes from the Federal Government. These donations can be in several forms including time and goods. 

You can support your Head Start Program 

Every child in our community is a precious gem. Each one needs love and support from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, teachers, counselors, community leaders and others. Remember “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”  Please give the children of your Head Start program the gift of your participation by volunteering in any way you can!

Donating Your Time… Some examples of In-Kind time donations include:

Volunteering and observing in the center
Attending Center Committee or policy council meetings
Reading and telling stories to children at the center 
Maintaining or fixing toys 
Picking up trash outside the center  
Building or fixing playground equipment 
Making or fixing furniture 
Watching training videos in the center  
Reading educational material in the center  
Eating lunch with the children in the center-help demonstrate good manners and assist supervising the group 
Going on field trips with the children 
Bringing your child to screenings required for Head Start 
Calling other parents to inform them of Head Start events 
Cleaning and sanitizing toys in the center 
Planning or helping with an activities such as making play-doh or pudding finger- paint 
Assisting the teacher with lesson plans (preparing materials) 
Bringing in artwork or other “treasures” to share with the children 
Sharing talents by teaching classes to Head Start families, children or community members  Participating in Head Start sponsored training 
Completing homework assignments sent home for your child.  
    
Donating Goods… In-Kind can also be in the form of donated goods such as but not limited to:   

Food for potlucks 
Children‘s books, catalogs and magazines 
Old T-shirts for painting 
Extra winter clothing 
Art materials 
Materials used to repair toys and furniture 
Classroom or playground equipment bought by the Center Committee with funds  from a fund raiser

This year our Head Start Program offered the teachers reward for top In-Kind of the month. It was simple, the teacher with the highest dollar amount in In-Kind was awarded a $20.00 gift card to be spent on the classroom. I chose to save any I received and spend it at the end of the year.

This year, thanks to some awesome parents and community people, I took the challenge and won 4 months! YAY!

So this is what I purchased for the classroom ....

 

Thank you all for everything you do to make our program the best it can be!