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Children
 Many
young migrant and seasonal children in the United States are taken to the
fields because their parents have no other place to leave them while they
work. Sometimes young children take care of even younger siblings in camps
or fields, while their parents are working.
Getting migrant and seasonal children out of unsafe environments is a
starting point for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs, but they do
much more. Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs answer basic needs for
migrant and seasonal children and their families, by seeking to break the
cycle of poverty created by moving from place to place. They offer positive,
nurturing child development programs for children ages birth to school entry
age. Thirty-five percent of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start's enrollment is
comprised of infants and toddlers. Programs are center-based, full day, and
structured to meet the needs of the locally designed programs.
Programs are individualized, multi-cultural, and utilize appropriate
developmental practices. Children, whose native language is other than
English, are encouraged to build upon their language while English is
gradually introduced.
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs are inter-disciplinary and address
components such as education, health (physical, dental, and mental), social
services, nutrition, and parent involvement. Children learn to be
self-directed, to interact in group settings, and to be accepting of the
ethnic, cultural, and individual differences in people. Staff develop
partnerships with parents to involve them as the prime educators in the
development of their children.
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