Head Start

Overview

Chesterfield-Marlboro EOC Head Start three to five year olds is a school readiness program that provides comprehensive child development services to eligible families. The overall mission of CMEOC is to improve motor skills, self-esteem and the quality of life in three to five year olds through cooperative and collaborative services by governing bodies, parents and staff.  Children and their families are provided a variety of experiences which will broaden their horizons and their understanding of the world in which they live, expand their thinking, improve their health, build self-confidence and self-concepts that will better assist them living with themselves and others.

Our Staff:

CMEOC employs highly trained staff that works with the children and their families in a variety of settings to provide a strong foundation for school readiness and long term success in school and family self-reliance.

Our Beginning:

Head Start began in 1965 as a part of President Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty, Head Start is an early childhood education program that serves low-income children with an emphasis on health, nutrition and parental involvement. Head Start program services and resources are intended to nurture stable family relationships, enhance children's physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. Head Start helps to create healthy development in low-income children ages three to five. Head Start affords preschoolers with the ability to engage successfully with their peers outside of the family network, adjust to the space of a classroom, and meet the expectations the school setting provides three to five year olds.

Volunteers:

We Need You!

Volunteers are needed to contribute their time and talents to our program. Volunteers are welcome to share in all activities to provide opportunities to build relationships, and become positive role models with children in classroom settings. Volunteers also provide administrative support and enable us to meet our non-federal match. Our volunteers will be provided orientation/training throughout the school year to familiarize them with the programs policies and procedures.

Community Involvement and Referral of Children with Special Needs

CMEOC Head Start welcomes and appreciates all referrals from our Community Partners.   Community agencies such as BabyNet, Department of Social Services, The Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), local pediatricians, School Districts, Mental Health Clinics, DHEC, The School for the Deaf and Blind and among many others.

Family Engagement

CMEOC three to Five year olds Family Engagement service’s build’s relationship’s with families that support family well-being, strong relationships between parents and their children, and ongoing learning and development for both parents and children. Our ultimate goal is for all families to be self-reliant.  Our staff provides parents with opportunities for growth as they learn to identify their own strengths, needs, interests and find their own solutions; nurture the development of their children within their family and culture; and build trust and collaborative relationships between parents, staff and the community. We depend on our Parents, Families and the community to make our program successful.

The staff encourages and builds family relationships by:

• Helping parents establish and progress toward family and child development goals
• Providing parents with opportunities for interactions and meetings with other parents, program staff and community agencies
• Providing parent education activities that are responsive to parent’s needs
• Providing opportunities for parents to be included in the program curriculum
• Connecting the family with community resources and organizations
• Providing opportunities to continue education and employment training/services
• Promoting parent participation in literacy opportunities/services
• Assisting families to participate in community projects

Additional Resources:
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family

How to apply:

CMEOC three to five-year old’s is currently accepting applications for the 2020-2021 School Year, which begins August 20, 2020

Priority is given to families that are:

» Homeless
» In Foster Care
» Receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

» Receiving Social Security Income
» Low-income (based on Federal poverty guidelines)
» Children with special needs/disabilities

There is no cost for our services.

Getting Started

1. Please complete our application for Head Start (3-4 years old).
2. To begin the application process for Head Start, click here.

Thank you for submitting your enrollment application. What Happens Next?

1. One of our Family Coordinator’s will receive your application and follow up with you.
2. Please provide needed documentation.
3. Please make sure you keep your interview appointment. Federal regulations require this interview.

Things to Keep in Mind

1. Applicants are responsible to keep us updated if your contact information changes.
2. We also rely on you to respond to our efforts to reach you.
3. We will generally make 3 attempts to contact you and may need to move to the next applicant if we do not receive a response.
4. Completing the enrollment application does not guarantee eligibility or enrollment into our programs. Enrollment is based on slot availability and filled according to greatest need.
5. Our offices are open Monday-Friday from 8:30AM – 5:00PM
6. Please call us at (843) 320-9760 or toll free at 1-888-299-2799

You must bring the following documents to the interview:

• Proof of 2019 Family income (W-2/1040, Child Support, TANF/SSI payments, etc., or
• One-month current income (pay stubs, DSS Income Summary Reports)
• Proof of child's birth (Birth Certificate, Passport, etc.)
• Child's S.C. Certificate of Immunization
• Documentation of applicant's disability (if applicable)

*The Office of Head Start defines FAMILY as:

1.   All persons living in the home supported by the applicant's parent/guardian 
2.    Related to the parent/guardian by blood, marriage, or adoption

If the person attempting to complete the application is not the parent of the applicant, documents (custody agreements, guardianship/caregiver orders, signed parental statements, foster care contract) giving permission to apply for educational and health services should be provided if available.

APPLICATION FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION

SELECTED FOR ENROLLMENT If your child is selected for enrollment, (the parent/guardian), will receive an Application Update Letter, which will inform you of what steps are required for completion of the enrollment process. This process will include having to return to complete Registration forms.

WAITLIST If your child is not selected, parent/guardian will receive a Waitlist Letter and the child will be placed on a center waitlist according to your address or parent's request. This will not guarantee your child a slot this year, but does leave that possibility open when vacancies do occur.
 

If you have additional enrollment question’s contact:

Ernestine H. Melton, Family and Community Partnership Manager at emelton@cmeoc.org
 

Meet our Family Service Coordinators:

Carol Galloway           McColl Head Start                             cgalloway@cmeoc.org
Yvette Burns               Cheraw/Blenheim Head Starts           yburns@cmeoc.org
Valerie Ellerbe            Chesterfield/Ruby Head Starts           vellerbe@cmeoc.org
Katie Harrington         Pageland Head Start                           dharrington@cmeoc.org
Bernice Linton            Cheraw Head Start                             blinton@cmeoc.org
Gwendolyn Hooks      Blenheim Head Start                          ghooks@cmeoc.org

Our Centers:

The program operates six (6) centers with 25 classrooms.  We have Centers located in Cheraw, Chesterfield, McBee, Pageland, Blenheim and McColl.  All six (6) centers are endorsed by the South Carolina ABC Voucher program and are licensed by the South Carolina Department of Social Services. 

Head Start Center Directory