Everything gleams, and except for the items being used, everything is in its place, neatly stored in plastic containers or cubby holes. It's Head Start, a federally funded preschool program designed especially for children from low-income families. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bear River Head Start, which serves children and families in Box Elder County, is one of 1,513 Head Start preschools across the nation. The program is free to qualifying families, but parents must meet federal poverty guidelines and provide consecutive pay stubs and other documents to show proof of low-income status. According to Heather Robison and LaVina Petersen, teachers at Head Start in Brigham City, curriculum includes fundamental academic skills to help the children prepare to enter kindergarten, as well as even more rudimentary life skills.
Food is in large bowls and students pass around the dishes to serve themselves something to eat.
Eating this way also gives the children a sense of control, Robison said. When you're four, you don't have a lot of control. The kids just have to have one of everything on their plate, but they don't have to eat anything. It's so funny when they put just one pea on their plate. It's really funny when they forget what they hate and eat it anyway.