The Program

For your primary post, provide a  background history of your program, or if this is a new program, provide  relevant historical information on similar programs.

What similar programs currently exist?  Where are there unmet needs and/or gaps in the system and how does your  program fulfill this unmet need or gap for your target population,  within in the service delivery system and in your identified service  area?

**MINIMUM 350 WORDS***

PROGRAM DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT< 6>

Social Service Programs

Name

University

Social Service Programs

PART 1: The National Head Start Association (NHSA)

Social service organizations play a critical role in any society in that they ensure the social welfare of people living around a particular area. Social services encompassed a wide array of public services offered by public and private organizations, both for profit and nonprofit. Some of the primary aims of public services are to promote equality and opportunity for all, build stronger communities, and create more effective organizations.

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is one of the national social service organizations that serve children and youth in several areas. NHSA is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization whose commitment is for the belief that every child or youth has the ability to succeed in life regardless of their birth circumstances (NHSA, nd). The organization’s opportunity for children and youths result to the development of healthier, empowered children and families, thus translating to stronger and more vibrant communities. NHSA offers free learning and development services for children aged between birth and five years and pregnant women from poor family backgrounds. Contemporaneously, the organization serves about 1 million children, I,600 Head Start grantees and, 245,000 staff in the United states, and has been working diligently for social policy changes that would see all the at-risk children have access to the Head Start support model for the development of a holistic and functioning child, family and community. The organization’s vision is to lead in serving every vulnerable child with the Head Start support model for the whole child, the family and the community and to advocate by diligently working for policy and institutional changes that would ensure that all vulnerable children and families have what they need to for success in life. Her mission is ‘‘…to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education’’ (NHSA, nd).

NHSA began in 1974 as the National Directors Association (NDA) which was formed to advocate against the President Nixon’s plan to close Community Action Agencies wherein most of the Head Start programs were situated. In 1990, the merger of the National Directors Association (NDA), the Head Start Parent Association, Head Start Staff Association, and Head Start Friends Association resulted to the formation of NHSA to defend Head Start programs in Congress, although each of the four affiliate associates maintained a separate identity via distinct membership categories. Contemporaneously, the Association has been able to expand its mission to advocate for access to the Head Start model by the most vulnerable children. The association also provides an extensive array of professional development services and programs portfolio for the entire early childhood community, including the National Parent Conference and the annual National Head Start Conference (NHSA, nd).

The NHSA’s primary achievement has been its enduring and unwavering support for the Head Start program. The program has been the most important educational and social investment in US children, families and communities. Early Head Start and Head Start programs are free, federally funded to promote school readiness for children from low-income families, and targets pregnant women and families with children under age 3 and children between 3 and 5 years old, respectively (Childcare,gov, nd). For over the past half a decade, it has offered a vital window of opportunities to over 37 million low-income and other vulnerable children and their families and communities across the country. Political, economic, and social changes often affect our communities and thus negatively affect the Head Start programs. For instance, as the income gap and the number of people living in poverty is increasingly widening, so is the number of vulnerable children eligible. NHSA has been resilient because of its responsiveness to the changing needs and circumstances of our local communities (NHSA, nd). The association has found it inevitable to adopt current trends and demands in social policy and social services like community-based partnerships and involving the marginalized, having an integrated approach encompassing environmental policies, trade and labor market policies, and humanitarian aid, engaging in public-private partnerships to enhance community organizations and a strong regulatory framework and monitoring by citizens, etc.

Part II: Program Hypothesis

The program hypothesis has become critical in ensuring the success of social programs just as it is in research work. A program hypothesis is not only about the ‘‘If’’, but should offer a strong, comprehensive foundation for future evidence-based research action and implementation (Kettner et al 2016). Now, NHSA offers a wide range of programs to support the Head Start program, especially amongst the at-risk or vulnerable children and their families and communities to achieve their wholeness. Through the Head Start model of Whole Child and Whole Family, there are four vital components of Head Start programs, including education, health, parent involvement, and social services (NHSA, nd). The Whole Family program aims to supports families facing difficulties to help mitigate the obstacles that may hinder children from these families from learning and proper social development in early years. The following is a program hypothesis for a Head Start Whole Family program:

According to the data contained in the NHSA’s master file, there are currently millions of children spread across the USA who are unable to reach their full potential in life. Most of these children come from poor families that are unable to support their development needs like sending them to school, healthcare, proper housing, health and nutrition, and other essential needs. More importantly, since these children are more likely to be sent to [quality] schools [early enough] by their parents, they are also more likely to be unable to effectively compete in the socio-economic and political arena with their peers, especially those who come from the affluent families or otherwise received sponsorships. The consequence is that chances are high that these children are unable to join gainful employment and be productive to the society, and are more likely to engage in alcoholism, drug and substance abuse, and aggression as a result of frustration in life and engage in crime to sustain their lives and families and finance their lifestyles in the future.

The outcome of such a situation would be an increased income gap and social inequality. While acknowledging this fact, several lawmakers and leaders from other sectors have called for more targeted and dedicated work to ensure vulnerable children and families have access to high quality healthcare and education in their earliest years as means to protect vulnerable children and their families and communities from experiencing the aforementioned social perils. Generally, whereas directly sponsoring the at-risk children is helpful, such an approach is often cited as a narrow, short-term focus to a wider and long-term social problem. Therefore, by supporting their families, more children are able to benefit more from the Head Start programs, and are likely to be motivated to success by parents through elementary school and beyond. A social service organization like NHSA would be able to bring much positive change in the lives of children and families, and help build a more resilient and prosperous family environment for children by helping them achieve their housing, education, and employment goals if it focuses more on supporting the families.

Childcare,gov. (nd). Head Start and Early Head Start . Retrieved December 15, 2020, from Childcare.gov: https://www.childcare.gov/consumer-education/head-start-and-early-head-start

Kettner, P. M., Moroney, R. M., & Martin, L. L. (2016). Selecting the Appropriate Intervention Strategy. In Designing and Managing Programs: An Effectiveness-Based Approach (5 ed., p. 90). SAGE Publications, Inc.

NHSA. (nd). About US: Mission, Vision, History. Retrieved December 15, 2020, from National Head Start Association (NHSA): https://www.nhsa.org/about-us/mission-vision-history

NHSA. (nd). Why Head Start: The Head Start Model . Retrieved December 15, 2020, from National Head Start Association (NHSA): https://www.nhsa.org/why-head-start/head-start-model>