ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance)

The Head Start Program serves children between the ages of 3-5 years old
and has a funded enrollment of 230 children. There are 7 Head Start sites 
housing a total of 26 classrooms.

The Onslow County Schools Head Start Program is mandated to 
conduct a Community Assessment to determine the strengths, concerns, and
needs of the children and families they are serving or plan to serve. The 
information gathered allows the program to determine the services that will be 
provided and the manner in which they will be provided. The assessment 
must be conducted at least once every five years.

Eligibility: To be eligible for Head Start, a child must be at least 3 years
old, as determined by the cut-off date used by the local public school system. 
Onslow County Schools Head Start has used August 31st as the cut-off date.

Families must meet or fall below the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines to 
be eligible for Head Start Services. The few exceptions to this would be a 
child with a disability or a migrant family.  At least 90% of the children in 
the Head Start Program must fall within the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, 
and up to 10% of the families in the program can exceed the income guidelines
with special circumstances or approval of the Head Start Director.

Recruitment: Recruitment efforts are carried out throughout the program 
year, but concentrated in late spring for the new school year.  Methods of 
recruitment include word of mouth, flyers, posters, public service announcements, 
community partners, and door-to-door efforts.

Selection: The Head Start Program has established selection criteria 
used to assist in selecting children and families for the program. The selection
criteria are based on information gathered from the Community Assessment. 
Along with the age and income of the child, the selection criteria assists in 
ranking children on a waiting list based on the needs of the child and/or family. 
The Head Start Program maintains a waiting list throughout the year.

Enrollment:  Applications are accepted year-round, and may be picked
up in the Preschool Office at 440 College Street.

Attendance: Attendance of Head Start children is monitored daily due
to the fact that the agency must maintain an average daily attendance rate 
of 85%. Attendance is monitored daily by teachers and the Head Start Finance Manager.