AllentownSchool District

Allentown School District Partners with Community Services for Children’s Head Start

Allentown School District Partners with Community Services for Children’s Head Start
Posted on 10/09/2018
The Allentown School District is excited to announce an expanded partnership with Community Services for Children to provide classroom space for Head Start children in Jackson Early Childhood Center and K-6 Newcomer Academy located in the former Lincoln Elementary School. Each of the two classrooms enrolls 20 preschool-age children, for increased services to a total of 40 Allentown families. Head Start will provide comprehensive services to students, including breakfast and lunch, connection to health services, parent education and support.   

“Our goal is to prepare these children to do well in kindergarten following their Head Start experience. We are grateful to Allentown School District for providing this space. Without this, we would not be able to enroll these children in Allentown this year,” said Community Services for Children CEO/President Paula Margraf.  “We continue to have a large waiting list for Head Start-eligible children in Allentown,” she added. 
“By hosting these classrooms in our existing elementary schools, children and their families will become better acquainted with the public school in their community, creating an easier transition into kindergarten,” said Thomas Parker, Superintendent for Allentown School District.

“We are great believers in Head Start’s results, preparing children to do well in kindergarten. Early learning programs set students up for long-term success,” continued Parker, “which aligns with our long-term goals of increasing grade 3 level reading proficiency, grade 9 success rates and ultimately ensuring that students graduate college and career ready.”  

The collaborative effort speaks to the District’s ongoing efforts to strengthen relationships between community agencies and Allentown families, connecting them with resources that keep families engaged.  

Community Services for Children’s Head Start of the Lehigh Valley program was named among the 10 highest quality programs in the nation by the National Head Start Association.


About Community Services for Children 
Community Services for Children (CSC) provides early education to 1,400 children ages prenatal-5 through Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. CSC also provides subsidies and other resources to 25,000 working families in 17 counties of NE Pennsylvania to access child care through the new Early Learning Resource Centers.