Justice is important in a country and should be applied equally in crime and social setup. Social justice demands that everyone be given equal economic, political, and social rights regardless of their social class or race background (Chisholm-Burns et al., 2021). During John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1965, he was unhappy with children loitering on the streets while others were in school. John F. Kennedy saw the need to develop a learning culture for all children in the United States. Ending the helplessness in children would require disrupting the culture of poverty that was passed from generation to generation through education. The move to operate Head Start was to promote social justice in education for children. Head Start was initiated and started in the summer of 1965 by Lyndon Baines Johnson (Pillay, 2018). This essay will discuss the role of the Head Start program in the promotion of social justice in the US, focusing on the values taught to the children and the activities that constitute the program.
Social justice promotion through Head Start is seen through its initiative to instill cognitive and emotional development of children from low low-income families below five years in preparation for school. The children under the program would not go to school if they were denied the opportunity (Johnson & Jackson, 2019). The children at the program are taught life-long skills of observing social justice for all races and backgrounds.
The program’s selection process is an open and justifiable process. When a family is selected for the program, support is provided depending on the family’s needs. Case officers make frequent visits to the homes to see how best they can help the families. The needs that can be addressed range from health problems and parenting skills to drug abuse and alcoholism. The social workers’ focus on the selected families is maintained to the issues identified.
Head Start provides clinical services to the selected families. Head Start provides counseling to individuals and children either in groups or singly, depending on the needs of the families. The program’s other clinical services include diagnosing health problems such as anxiety or depression, among other health complications (Williams et al., 2018). Mental health problems are common in low-income families due to difficulty meeting their daily needs. The social workers working with the program are highly qualified and can offer psychological assessments to the families and visit them at home to provide counseling and intervention in crisis cases (Nix et al., 2018). The officers can review the family’s needs upon new discoveries and support the family in other initially not included needs.
To provide equal opportunities to the community, the program social officers organize outreach activities in schools, community gatherings, and churches to educate the community about Head Start activities. Educating the community about Head Start allows every family that qualifies to enroll in the program to have a chance to be assisted. The outreach team distributes enrollment forms that provide the requirements for a family and child to be registered to the program (Gatewood, 2019). The social officers encourage the attendants of the organized gatherings to share the information with other community members who maybe be qualified but do not have the chance to get the enrollment form or have never heard of the Head Start program. Spreading the word promotes equal opportunity for the community to be enrolled in the program and consequently the promotion of social justice.
Accountability is highly valued at the Head Start program through record keeping. The records of registered families are updated at any time in case of changes. The registered families’ needs files are updated whenever assessments are conducted. The officers conduct checks regularly to know the progress of the families and children following the needs registered at first. The Head Start program might withdraw a family from the program in cases of change in social class, and a needy family on the waiting list is added to provide equal opportunities for the community. The documents for income verification and treatment plans are checked often to keep only the families that truly deserve the services.
In conclusion, when we speak of social justice in early childhood education, we must consider the importance of understanding what it means and what is required to have equality in early childhood education. Head Start bridges the gap between children aged below five in preparation for their school attendance. Social justice should not end with Head Start after the children surpass the requirement age. Teachers in various schools should teach the correct values that promote social justice through leading by example and theoretically instilling the right values in children. Society should condemn discrimination of any nature due to socioeconomic status or privilege by teaching good morals to the young generation.
References
Chisholm-Burns, M., Imhoff, L., Spivey, C., & Welage, L. S. (2021). Call to Action for Promoting Social Justice. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 85(9). Web.
Gatewood, A. K. (2019). Household Composition of Families Eligible for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start: Findings from the 2012-2016 National Agricultural Workers Survey. OPRE Report 2019-48. Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. Web.
Johnson, R. C., & Jackson, C. K. (2019). Reducing inequality through dynamic complementarity: Evidence from Head Start and public school spending. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 11(4), 310-49. Web.
Nix, R. L., Bierman, K. L., Motamedi, M., Heinrichs, B. S., & Gill, S. (2018). Parent Engagement in a Head Start Home Visiting Program Predicts Sustained Growth in Children’s School Readiness. Early childhood research quarterly, 45, 106-114. Web.
Pillay, J. (2018). Early Education of Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A Crucial Aspect for Social Justice and African Development. Koers: Bulletin for Christian Scholarship= Koers: Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap, 83(1), 1-12. Web.
Williams, A. S., Patel, P. M., Beucke, N. L., & Koopman, R. J. (2018). Community-Based Medical Student Nutrition Counseling Training for Low-Income Families. PRiMER: Peer-Review Reports in Medical Education Research, 2. Web.