What is Head Start?

According to the Office of the Administration for Children & Families, Head Start programs promote the school readiness of infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children from low-income families. Services are provided in a variety of settings including centers, family child care, and children's own home. Head Start programs also engage parents or other key family members in positive relationships, with a focus on family wellbeing. Parents participate in leadership roles, including having a say in program operations.

More on Head Start
More on Head Start

What is Title 1?

Title I is one of the federal funding streams that supplements how much money each state allocates for schools. There are other “Title” funds too, I-VII, all aiming to aid students who have burdens that may get in the way of accessing an equitable education. These burdens include poverty, homelessness, living in state-run institutions, living in isolated rural districts, and those still learning the English language. (There is a separate funding stream for students with disabilities.)

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title I was created “to ensure economically disadvantaged children receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, by helping to close academic achievement gaps.”

More on Title I
More on Title I
our work

Early literacy programs

Phase 01
Early Head Start Literacy: for ages 0-3

The first phase.
Ages 0-3

Barclay's Book Fun!

Do very young kids read? Yes! They decipher pictures, learn rhymes, and explore words with their caregivers. But what if there are no books in the home? Or, if they can’t seem to sit still long enough to look at them?

We have teamed up with EHS (Early Head Start) educators and home visitors who go into the homes of their families every week, take the books we provide to their children, and model reading and acting out the stories with their parents.

Our books are always movement centric so we engage the kids while providing needed early literacy cues such as rhyme and rhythm. We also provide an activity book which we create in collaboration with Head Start faculty, that has age appropriate movement ideas, stories about Team Long Run’s mascot, Barclay, and lots of fun ideas for parents to do with their toddlers. Our goal is to build home libraries one Barclay’s Book Bag at a time.

Phase 02
Head Start Literacy: for ages 3-5

The second phase.
Ages 3-5


Barclay's Book Bag

Once a child enters a Head Start classroom we continue to provide support for their early literacy development.

We ask teachers to choose books from their curriculum which we buy for each child to take home. We develop and distribute an activity book to enrich the book they will be getting, and which includes a social story connecting active play and reading through our mascot Barclay the dog; as well as lots of other activities, and a toy or item (e.g. a tennis ball) that supports the theme of the book.

We also buy curriculum books for classroom libraries to ensure that each classroom has the books in their library that they are reading in class.

Phase 03
K-6 Literacy: for ages 5-12

The third, and final, phase.
Ages 5-12

Libros de bolsa marrón

Brown Bag Books is our elementary school program, delivering books to the home through curated titles taken from the curriculum.

Teachers in our target schools (Title 1) choose 3-4 books a year that they would like their students to both use in the classroom and take home for their home libraries.

Supportive materials are developed by school literacy professionals to engage families and enrich the student’s understanding of the book they now own.

The Highest Peak Foundation is the principal sponsor of Brown Bag Books.

our work

Active Play Programs