Colusa County Office of Education

Communicate • Collaborate • Operate • Educate

Children's Services purpose is to prepare children and their families for future success and opportunities for lifelong learning.  We are dedicated to enriching the lives of all children and families through high-quality educational programs and connecting families with individualized childcare services that meet their individual needs.  Nurturing, responsive, and consistently secure environments provide children with a foundation to achieve at their optimal levels of success.  We understand that each child is unique and learns best through intentional instruction that is developmentally appropriate, inclusive, and provides enriched exploration, discovery, and meaningful hands-on play experiences.

• Early Head Start/Head Start
• Pre-Kindergarten & Family Literacy
• State Preschool
• Early Head Start Home-Based Visiting through weekly home visits with prenatal mothers and children from birth-36 months. Bi-weekly socialization occurs through play groups.
  
• Infant, Toddler & Preschool full-day/full-year centers
• Infant, Toddler, & Preschool full-day/full-year centers for seasonal migrant program
• Preschool part-day that follows each school districts calendar of operation
• Subsidized childcare and early education programs are funded by Federal and State contracts. These contracts define the criteria for who may be eligible. 
  
  

Our learning programs are play-based and provide  a variety of opportunities for children to acquire strong  social skills.  Cognitive learning occurs throughout the day and within small and large group experiences and individual work times.  Research-based curriculum supports children's development and learning through the following domains:

For our infant and toddler programs, we understand the importance of strong emotional attachments between our exceptional caregivers, babies,  and parents.  Center staff provide soft and welcoming learning environments and education learning materials  that support domains of Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, Cognition, and Small and Large Motor Development.  Infant and Toddler centers maintain low staff to child ratios and small group sizes of eight babies each day.

Home-Based learning provides learning opportunities in the families home and support for expectant families through weekly home visits.  Home Visitors provide materials to each family and  supports parents in their roles as being their child's first teacher. Monthly playgroups provide socialization opportunities for children and families to engage with one another in the community.

For preschool programs, children learn through consistent routines and an abundance of learning materials that are educational and fun to explore.  The classroom environment is separated into learning areas that support  Approaches to Learning, Social and Emotional Development, Language and Literacy, Mathematics and Science, Small and Large Gross Motor Development.  Teaching staff focus on building relationships that allow children and families to feel welcomed.  

Nutritious meals and snacks are provided.

The Head Start Annual Report is an annual report which outlines the goals and accomplishments of our program.