Kevan Anderson

Muskogee County Head Start

Muskogee County Head Start is a program designed to support children's growth from birth to age 5 through services that support early learning and development, health, and family well-being. Our staff actively engage parents, recognizing family participation throughout the program as key to strong child outcomes. Our services are available throughout Muskogee County at no cost to families. Head Start preschool services work with families with children ages 3 to 5. Early Head Start services work with families with children ages birth to 3. With Green Country Behavioral Health Services as our grantee, we operate both Head Start preschool and Early Head Start services. We deliver child development services in center-based and home-based settings. MCHS continually works toward our mission for eligible children and families to receive high-quality services in safe and healthy settings that prepare children for school and life. Head Start programs are helping children get ready to succeed in school and in life through learning experiences tailored to their changing needs and abilities. The federal government funds Head Start programs through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The federal-to-local model allows us to create a Head Start experience that is responsive to the unique and specific needs of our community, which we continually strive to do. Children enrolled in Head Start programs are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college, have improved social, emotional, and behavioral development, and are better prepared to be parents themselves than similar children who did not attend the program. Research consistently shows a broad pattern of impacts for children at the end of their Head Start enrollment. The Head Start program's two-generation design — coupled with research-based, high-quality comprehensive services — has the power to change the trajectory for children's outcomes.