About Rutland County Head Start - Rutland County Head Start Early Childcare & Education

About Us
A program of Community Care Network, the mission of Rutland County Head Start is to prepare children for a successful school experience through comprehensive, integrated, family-centered early childhood services.

Rutland County Head Start operates four hours per day (9 a.m.-1 p.m.), four days per week (Monday-Thursday) from September through May. Childcare services are available at our Meadow Street site, Monday through Friday before and after Head Start hours and on days when the Head Start program is not in session, including the summer.

To be eligible for Head Start services, families must meet strict federal eligibility guidelines, with most families at or under 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (see Eligibility). A program of high quality, RCHS adheres to strict standards established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Vermont Childcare Licensing, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We are accredited by NAEYC, have a 5-STARS designation from the Vermont Child Development Division and a Qualified Pre-K Provider through the VT Agency of Education.

Our services are available at centers in Rutland, Vermont and in collaboration with local school districts. Rutland County Head Start provides a safe, nurturing environment for 117 children and empowers families to utilize community resources to achieve individual and family goals.

All Rutland City classrooms are located on convenient public transportation routes served by The Bus.

Program Governance
Community Care Network is the parent corporation of Rutland Mental Health Services and Rutland Community Programs. Rutland Community Programs is the grantee for the federal Head Start grant. Rutland Community Programs is organized exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes including but not necessarily limited to the following: to sponsor, develop, promote and conduct educational programs, social services and programs that are charitable, scientific or educational and that address the health needs of the community at large.

For its Head Start program, Rutland Community Programs has a structure of shared governance whereby a well-functioning Board of Directors and an established Policy Council share responsibility for overseeing the delivery of high quality services to children and families in accordance with Head Start legislation, regulations, and policies. The structure of program governance provides parents and other community representatives with the opportunity to participate in shared decision-making concerning program design and implementation.

In accordance with federal law, the Rutland Community Programs Board of Directors includes an attorney, an expert in early childhood education, a financial professional, and a past or present parent of a Head Start child, among others. The Policy Council is made up of at least 51 percent Head Start parents and includes parent representation from each center, two community representatives, and a representative from the Board of Directors.