Hillsboro Head Start off to good start
The Hillsboro Head Start classroom has been in session for nearly five weeks, and teacher Shawna Hake says things are going well.
But her environment here is a little different from the classroom's previous location in Florence.
When the Head Start classroom was in Florence, it was located inside a former junior high building. That's also where the Marion County Special Education Cooperative is located, Hake said.
Here in Hillsboro, she's surrounded by people and other children. Her classroom is now at the northwest end of Hillsboro Elementary School.
The number of students Hake has now is also different — 17 youngsters ages 3 to 5. Last spring, Hake had just nine children lined up for Head Start.
Now her classroom is full, and there are names on the waiting list, Hake said.
The Head Start classroom was moved this fall from Florence to Hillsboro for that very reason: The number of preschool-age children using Head Start increased in the Hillsboro-Goessel area.
Most of the students in her classroom are from the Hillsboro-Durham-Lehigh school district, Hake said. Five are from the Goessel district.
Children from the Tampa, Marion, and Centre areas attend Head Start in Marion.
Head Start is a federally funded preschool program for three-, four-, and five-year-olds in low-income families. Children can spend up to two years in Head Start before kindergarten, Hake said.
Hake has been with the Marion County Head Start program since 1998, when her family moved to Marion. She likes the younger age group.
"I really enjoy the preschool age," Hake said.
Also assisting Hake are three para-educators: Kathy Crane, Roseanne Scott, and Joetta Betz.
The Hillsboro Head Start classroom meets during the mornings from Monday through Thursday. On a typical morning, the children eat breakfast and lunch family-style, and in between do a variety activities, from hearing books read to crafts to music time.
Although all of her students are new to her this year, Hake says that she likes the HES environment and appreciates the support she's received from the district teachers and personnel.
"So far, everything's been good," Hake said.
