Changes in the Head Start program prioritize children and families in the face of winter storm damage
Students in the Head Start program at Markham Elementary met a warm welcome in a new classroom home while their school undergoes repairs from the recent winter storm. Head Start staff shifted services for 18 children and their teachers to the Neighborhood House Head Start location at the Children’s Center at Stephens Creek Crossing (SCC).
Staff worked quickly to continue services the first week after the school was closed. The first priority was supporting families with food and meals. Head Start teachers worked on plans for take-home bags with activities and resources for at-home learning. The family service and nutrition team helped to connect Markham families to the Neighborhood House Free Food Market.
Then they started coordinating how to move the Markham students into available space at the Children’s Center at Stephens Creek Crossing, where there was one open classroom.
“We are thrilled that we have this space and the opportunity to continue to teach many of our students,” said Julia Pitner, Mental Health and Inclusion Manager for Head Start program. “Supporting our students, families, and staff is always our number one priority.”
The extra classroom allowed us to keep the Markham children together and make sure they felt welcome and safe in their new environment. Most importantly, the Markham Head Start teachers were able to stay with their classes at the new location, creating a sense of continuity for their young charges.
“My aunt always told me, ‘Be a needle in people’s lives, not scissors,'” Amina said. “Be a positive and hopeful force for others to bring them together.”
Head Start Teacher Amina Abdulrahman
“It can be scary for a little kid,” Head Teacher Amina Abdulrahman said. “We had some children crying on the first day in the new classroom.” She and the other teachers spent one-to-one time with the children who were having trouble, which helped with the transition. They made the new classroom as familiar as possible, bringing children’s name tags, favorite toys and other classroom items from the Markham classroom.
The Head Start families at Markham Elementary are mostly refugees, Amina said, which means they’ve experienced a lot of change in their lives. “They’ve seen so much change already. But change affects everyone.” It’s important to keep a positive attitude, she said. “My aunt always told me, ‘Be a needle in people’s lives, not scissors,'” Amina said. “Be a positive and hopeful force for others to bring them together.”
Head Start staff have been affected by the Markham closure, too. Assistant Teacher Zahra Mohamed has a kindergartner at Markham who was reassigned to Maplewood Elementary. It takes a lot of coordination to get her daughter, Rayaan Abu, to the new location. “Before, I just dropped her off at her classroom and went to my own classroom to work,” Zahra said. Now, they use a trickier combination of bus, friends and family.
Not that Rayaan minds. She is thrilled to take the bus, “like a big kid,” with her good friend from preschool, mom Zahra said. “It’s going to be an adjustment” for Rayaan to stop taking the bus when Markham re-opens.
Other Markham families were offered the option for online school, which includes virtual small group and story time, weekly education bags, and family service well-being check-ins.
According to Portland Public Schools, the Markham campus will be closed until at least mid-February. Head Start will keep the program at SCC until Markham is reopened.
Fox12 News covered the story of children and families’ resilience with the move. See pictures from their visit to the classroom below.
