Welcome, WestCOP Early Childhood Staff!

The Head Start and Early Head Start programs were designed to help break the cycle of poverty, providing infant/toddler and preschool children of low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. WestCOP is proud to be a Head Start grantee, with 23 sites, and the “Babies Step Forward” partnership where Early Head Start partners with 19 private child care sites.

In this section of the Head Start Program Performance Standards, it states §1302.92 (a) A program must provide to all new staff, consultants, and volunteers an orientation that focuses on, at a minimum, the goals and underlying philosophy of the program and on the ways they are implemented. 

Orientation to the philosophy of WestCOP’s Early Childhood Program

Please proceed through the links at your own pace, during the first five (5) workdays of your employment.  You will document your participation in the last link – a short google form.

Thank you for the services you provide to WestCOP’s Head Start and Early Head Start children and families!

Questions? Contact Miriam Kerness at mkerness@westcop.org

  1. Watch this video about the history of Head Start “The Head Start Advantage”
  2. Click on this Document “Head Start Program Performance Standards” and scroll through the table of contents. You will see the guiding document that Head Start and Early Head Start programs such as WestCOP use.
  3. Watch this Video which emphasizes the important roles that families play in the Head Start/Early Head Start programs: “Leading the Way-Families are Powerful Partners“
  4. Click on and read this document: WestCOP’s Health and Nutrition Services for information.
  5. Watch this video: There’s the ELOF for That
  6. Read through this document describing the training requirements in our early childhood programs.  Training Requirements
  7. When finished, please complete the Staff Orientation form here.