Head Start Program

Head Start Program
  • Early childhood education program for children 3 to 5 years old
  • Your child must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1, 2023.
  • We proudly offer Head Start at 4 school sites:

    • Fruitvale Elementary (Full-Day 8:00-2:30)

    • Hemet Elementary (Full-Day 8:00-2:30 & Part-Day 8:00-11:30 & 12:30-4:00)

    • Little Lake Elementary (Full-Day 8:00-2:30)

    • Ramona Elementary (Part-Day 8:00-11:30 & 12:30-4:00)

  • No cost to eligible families
  • Head Start is a Federally Funded Program
  • This program promotes the building blocks of school readiness and lifelong learning through these six (6) areas:

    • Physical Development and Health

    • Language and Literacy

    • Cognitive and General Knowledge (Social Studies, History, Family and Community, Problem   Solving and Symbolic Representation, Scientific Skills and Method, Conceptual

    • Knowledge of the Physical and Natural World, Number Concepts, Quantities and Operations, Geometry, Patterns, and Measurement)

    • Approaches to Learning, (Music, Creative Movement, Art, Drama, Imitative and Curiosity Persistence, and Cooperation)

    • Social and Emotional Development 

Comprehensive Services to Families and Children
  • Early learning: Children’s readiness for school and beyond is fostered through individualized learning experiences. Through relationships with adults, play, and planned and spontaneous instruction, children grow in many aspects of development. Children progress in social skills and emotional well-being, along with language and literacy learning, and concept development
  • Health: Each child’s perceptual, motor, and physical development is supported to permit them to fully explore and function in their environment. All children receive health and development screenings, nutritious meals, oral health, and mental health support. Programs connect families with medical, dental, and mental health services to ensure that children are receiving the services they need.
  • Family well-being: Parents and families are supported in achieving their own goals, such as housing stability, continued education, and financial security. Programs support and strengthen parent-child relationships and engage families around children’s learning and development. 
 
Who We Serve
  • In Head Start – Children 3 to 4 years of age are eligible to participate with priority given to 4-year-olds.
  • Services are available for children with special needs and they are mainstreamed into classes that are developmentally appropriate for their needs.
 
How We Provide Services
  • Part Day– Children are in a center-based class either in the morning or afternoon for 3.5 hours per day.
  • Full Day– Children are in a center-based class for 6.5 hours per day. Parents must be working or attending school/training full-time with no caregiver in the home in order to qualify for this program option.
HUSD Hemet Preschool Programs ensures that we hire the most qualified classroom staff to educate our youngest scholars.  All of our teachers have (at minimum) Bachelor's degrees and their Child Development Teacher Permit. Additionally, we strive to hire staff that is able to communicate with children and parents in their first language. If this is not possible, interpretation/ translation services are available at every location.