Health and Nutrition

It is the goal of ACHS to promote positive health and nutrition status for our enrolled children and to also support their families in lifetime preventive care practices.

We support our families by providing hearing, vision, nutrition, speech/language and lead/anemia screenings.  Additionally, we partner with Salud Dental Clinic to provide convenient and necessary dental screening twice a year at your child’s Head Start center. These screenings include a visual exam, gentle cleaning, and fluoride application. All our health screenings are completed within the first 45/90 days of your child’s enrollment and all appropriate referrals and resources are offered to families by our health specialists after the screenings are completed.

Mealtimes at ACHS are an extension of your child’s learning. At every meal, we model language, conversation, social interaction and introduce new foods. We serve our meals/snacks “family style” and our menus offer the healthiest options to our children by following the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines. We also promote a positive eating environment where children are not forced to try foods and we function in a neutral eating environment where children take as much or as little as they like.

We also provide a “Culture of Wellness” by offering Parent Wellness and Cooking Matters Workshops throughout the school year. Please check-out our home page to find out more about dates/times for these classes, or ask your center Health Specialist.

We are all happy to support and provide your child with the best care possible while he/she is enrolled in our program. It is our belief that the health of your child impacts attendance and ability to be successful in school. We work hard to make sure your child has the healthy start they need to do their very best in school every day.