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Policy Council

Head Start Policy Council

The Head Start philosophy is one of partnership with parents. Parents are seen as the first and most important teachers of their children and are involved in all aspects of the program. Parents meet with teachers to establish individual learning goals for their children, they participate in local center meetings to provide input to the classroom lesson plans and parent education programs, and they participate in critical decisions regarding the Head Start program through the Head Start parent Policy Council.

The Head Start Policy Council is composed of primarily of parent representatives elected by their local center committees. Representatives of community agencies or past parents may also serve on the Policy Council, but at least 51% of the Policy Council must be parents of children currently enrolled in the Head Start/Early Head Start program. The role of the Head Start Policy Council is defined by the Head Start Program Performance Standards and includes shared governance responsibility with the Santa Clara County Board of Education regarding decisions about program goals and plans, annual budget, and personnel functions.

The Head Start Policy Council, the program's major decision making body, shares governance responsibility with the Santa Clara County Board of Education regarding decisions about program goals and plans, setting program policies and procedures, budget allocations and personnel functions, including all hiring and releases of SCCOE Head Start Staff. They represent parent decisions on program design and implementation. The council is made up of 38 representatives, including elected parent representatives, past parents and individuals from community agencies.

Policy Council Leaders (2017-2018)

From Left to Right: Deborah Bell (Secretary), Karina Grajales (Chairperson),
Alyssa Phan (Vice Chairperson), Lisa Wells (Treasurer), and Gladys Dimas (Parliamentarian).