Head Start

In another year, your 4-year old will be marching off to kindergarten. It’s exciting and perhaps a little scary, too. Kindergartners start school expected to know their letters, the sounds the letters typically make and rhyming words. They are expected to count to 10 and recognize these numbers. Kindergartners are expected to be able to sit for several hours a day, know how to share and take turns.

CSC offers two preschool options, Head Start and Pre-K Counts. Although their funding differs somewhat, we operate them with the same high standards. Children attend school between 160 and 180 days a year. We provide preschool for nine area school districts: Bangor, Easton, Bethlehem, East Penn, Salisbury, Northampton, Northern Lehigh, Parkland and Whitehall-Coplay and we also collaborate with Colonial Intermediate Units 20 and 21.

Head Start began in the Lehigh Valley in 1965 during President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty programs. Today we have about 50 Head Start classrooms across the Lehigh Valley, most run independently, and some run in conjunction with public schools. To be eligible for this high-quality preschool education, at no cost to the parent or guardian, a child must be at least 3 years old. Priority is given to families who meet federal poverty level guidelines. Head Start is a two-generation program in which we work as diligently with the family as it seeks strength and healthy growth as we do the child. Physical, mental and social health are encouraged along with learning literacy, math, science and the arts.

In both programs, breakfast and lunch are provided, and parents receive progress reports about their child.

To qualify,

  • Your family must reside in either Northampton or Lehigh County;
  • Your child must be 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1;
  • Priority is given for families whose income is at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level for Head Start and 300 percent for Pre-K Counts.

Newton School
While we introduce STEM education to all of our preschoolers, we have two Newton School classrooms, which are operated entirely on a STEM model.

Enrollment is limited. Please call for more information: 610-437-6000, 2171.