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U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-5th District) joined James H. Maloney, president and CEO of the Connecticut Institute for Communities, and Monica Bevilacqua, program director for Head Start of Northern Fairfield County, in making the announcement.
“I am thrilled that one of the highest-performing Head Start programs in the entire country is located in right here in Connecticut’s 5th District," said Esty. "It’s rare for a program to receive a perfect score, especially given that there are over 1,800 performance standards. And it’s even more remarkable that the Head Start of Northern Fairfield County got a perfect score for both its Head Start and Early Head Start programs—for two reviews in a row. ... I commend the parents, the Board of Directors, and the staff of Head Start of Northern Fairfield County program for their hard work and dedication to quality education for our children.”
Maloney also applauded the scores.
“This is like winning four years apart two Gold Medals at two different Olympics in a row," he said. "It is a very rare accomplishment, and an achievement that is a great credit to our Head Start parents and staff. It is also a great credit to Mayor Boughton, Danbury Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sal Pascarella, and the members of the Danbury City Council and Danbury Board of Education who have strongly supported the Danbury Head Start programs for many years. I and the members of the Board of the Connecticut Institute For Communities Inc. are deeply grateful for all their hard work and support."
The Head Start Program is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families. The department reviews the Head Start programs on a regular schedule.
From March 30 to April 3, the Administration for Children and Families conducted a monitoring review of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Danbury.
In addition, all Head Start federal reviews also document scoring in the Classroom Assessment Scoring System. The CLASS assessment looks at multiple dimensions of teacher-student interactions and rates them on a seven-point scale. Head Start of Northern Fairfield County scored substantially above the national average on the three major dimensions: Emotional Support, Classroom Support, and Instructional Support.
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