CAPK Head Start & Early Head Start Closures

CAPK Head Start operates 32 Head Start Centers in Kern County and 7 Head Start Centers in San Joaquin counties. All Head Start sites were closed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community Action Partnership of Kern Head Start and Early Head Start Programs reopened 11 early childhood education sites in Kern County at the beginning of June, after the State of California lifted its closure orders. Seven sites in San Joaquin County reopened on Monday, July 6. The remaining sites are currently scheduled to return to full education programming in August.

A strict portfolio of safety features are in place to reduce the risk of virus transmission while children are learning with Head Start. Those include staggered arrival and pick up, daily non-contact health screenings for staff, parents and children, limited classroom size, physical distancing procedures, regular hand-washing and use of personal protective equipment.

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CAPK is proud to be Kern County’s federally contracted Head Start & Early Head Start official service provider. The Head Start/State Child Development Division is responsible for our agency’s Head Start & Early Head Start Programs, which engage parents, teachers, caregivers, and administrators in forging a path towards a bright and healthy future for every child in our care. California State Preschool funding is used to complement and expand hours for Head Start and Early Head Start families requiring full-day services. CAPK offers Head Start and Early Head Start services throughout Kern and San Joaquin Counties.

We celebrate the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity that exists among our Head Start/Early Head Start families and cater to their individual needs through center-based and home-based options. This is done in the spirit of ensuring the best early care, education, and school readiness experience possible for children ages 0 to 5.

Home visits, the participation of parents on the Head Start Policy Council and the CAPK Board of Directors, and a mandate to include physically and mentally disabled children in Head Start/Early Head Start are all practical ways of ensuring that we meet the needs of all client families.