Just as Head Start provides every child who walks through its doors with the opportunity to succeed in school, learning, and life, the Head Start Higher Education Partnership Grants strive to do the same thing for Head Start teachers. The Head Start Higher Education Partnership grants (HEGs) were created to increase the numbers of Head Start and Early Head Start teaching staff with degrees in early childhood. Launched in 1997, the first Higher Education Partnership grants were awarded to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Over the years, these grant awards have expanded to include Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Hispanic Latino Service Institutions (HSIs).
TEACHING STAFF FOCUS
The goal of the HEGs is to improve the quality and long-term effectiveness of Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start and Early Head Start grantees and delegate agencies by increasing the number of teaching staff (teachers, teacher’s assistants, regular classroom substitutes, home visitors, and Education/Child Development supervisors) with degrees in Early Childhood Education.
One of the provisions in the 1998 reauthorization of the Head Start Act was that by September 30, 2003, at least half of all Head Start teachers in center-based programs nationwide must have an AA, a BA, or an advanced degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE), or in a related field with pre-school teaching experience.
Through the combined efforts of Head Start and higher education institutions around the country, the percentage of Head Start teachers with higher education degrees has increased steadily in recent years. In fact, since 2002, the number of teachers with an Associates degree or higher has increased from 51 to over 71 percent.
Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs)
There are more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States today. These institutions of higher learning, whose principal mission is to educate African-Americans, have evolved since their beginning in 1837, when their primary responsibility was to teach freed slaves to read and write. Now, in addition to providing an opportunity to earn graduate and post-graduate degrees, many distinguished HBCUs offer African-American students an ample educational experience and a place to gain a sense of identity, heritage, and community.
Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities (TCUs)
The first Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities (TCUs) were established in the late 1960s in the wake of the civil rights movement and the American Indian self-determination movement, as a way to increase access to higher education for youth growing up on reservations. These institutions continue today to meet the needs of students on reservations and contribute to the positive self-image of our native teachers.
Hispanic Latino Service Institutions (HSIs)
The concept of Hispanic Latino Service Institutions (HSIs) surfaced in the 1980s. Leaders at the Federal, State, and institutional levels recognized that a small set of institutions enrolled a large percentage of Latino students, but had low levels of resources. Just 20 years later, there are 236 HSIs located in 12 states and Puerto Rico, representing 6 percent of all institutions of higher education. These institutions continue the important mission of providing high levels of resources to meet the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community.
Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs)
Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities (TCUs)
Hispanic Latino Service Institutions (HSIs)
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