Today, Monday, May 12, Rep. Elizabeth Esty joined James H. Maloney, President and CEO of the Connecticut Institute for Communities, Inc. (CIFC), and Monica Bevilacqua, Program Director for Head Start of Northern Fairfield County, to announce the findings of their tri-ennial Head Start Federal Review. CIFC is the local sponsor of the regional Head Start Program. CIFC's Head Start and Early Head Start Programs earned their second consecutive dual 100% scores on the review.
"I am delighted to help announce this important news with the Connecticut Institute For Communities and Head Start of Northern Fairfield County," said Esty. "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. 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 am honored to be here to celebrate this occasion, and 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. I look forward to celebrating more successes with them in the future."
The President and Chief Executive Officer of CIFC, James H. Maloney, said: "This is like winning four years apart two Gold Medals at two different Olympics in a row! 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.
Head Start programs are reviewed on a regular schedule by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS).
"From 3/30/14 through 4/3/14, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) conducted a monitoring review of the Connecticut Institute Communities, Inc.'s Head Start and Early Head Start programs [in Danbury, CT]. We wish to thank the governing body, Policy Council, staff and parents of your program for their cooperation and assistance during the review. Based on the information gathered, no area of noncompliance was found during the course of the review" stated Ms. Anne Linehan, Acting Director, USDHHS Office of Head Start.
In addition, all Head Start federal reviews also document scoring in the "Classroom Assessment Scoring System" (CLASS). 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.