Munroe-Meyer Institute Establishes Region”s First
Collaboration Between University and Head Start Program
In a first for Nebraska, the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s
Munroe-Meyer Institute and Omaha’s Child and Family Development Corporation
have created a Head Start program on the UNMC campus for 60 preschool children.
This groundbreaking collaboration enhances education and research at
Munroe-Meyer and Head Start because of the opportunities it provides to
observe and interact with multicultural at-risk and disabled children in
a laboratory classroom environment. At the same time, Head Start receives
unprecedented access to some of the best child development facilities in
America and anticipates that UNMC’s assistance will lead to new proficiencies
through improved staff training and broadening of the childrens’ learning
environment.
“We see the partnership with Head Start as an example of community partnering
and outreach — a major part of our strategic plan and the UNMC mission,”
said Bruce Buehler, M.D., director of Munroe-Meyer Institute. “The classroom
will serve as training site for our professional students and staff.
This is a showcase for early intervention, diversity, and potential outcomes
research. UNMC must support Nebraska’s communities and this is an exemplary
model.”
Since 1965, Head Start has served millions of children from low-income
families across the country. The overall goal of the Head Start program
is to bring about a greater degree of social and academic competence in
young children of low income families. Head Start defines “social
competence” as “children’s everyday effectiveness in dealing with their
present environment and later responsibilities.”
“Welfare reform has changed the demographics of Head Start’s service
base,” said Linda Zinke, program director, Child and Family Development
Corporation, the governing body for Omaha’s Head Start programs. “There
is a greatly expanded need for preschool children’s programs.”
“Through multiple levels of evaluating each child — health, cognitive,
social, motor, mental health and more — Head Start is often the first
to identify certified disabilities in learning speech, hearing or vision
problems, as well as identifying family social issues impacting the children.”
Perhaps the most far-reaching aspects of the new partnership are the
increased educational and research opportunities it will provide to UNMC
and MMI.
“This is just a great win-win partnership that raises the level of opportunity
for both Munroe-Meyer and Head Start,” said Mark Shriver, Ph.D., an MMI
child psychologist and assistant professor in the UNMC department of pediatrics,
who serves as director of research and training for the Head Start project.
“The partnership will provide an exceptional educational experience for
medical and graduate students. It also provides a laboratory setting for
conducting a variety of research.
“We have faculty who have done extensive research in pediatric health
care and behavior supports. These researchers can conduct additional
research and possibly set standards for other Head Start programs around
the country.”
Dr. Shriver said the use of MMI facilities enhances Head Start’s teaching
environment, and is cost effective for MMI because it utilizes existing
child classroom space not used during day hours. In addition, there
are plans to extend on-campus pediatric dental care to Head Start children
whose parents have transportation problems or difficulty finding a dentist
who accepts Medicaid payments. The joint program broadens UNMC’s
mission of taking outstanding health services to those segments of the
community most in need.
Joseph Evans, Ph.D., director of psychology at MMI and associate professor
in the UNMC department of Pediatrics.”Our campus Head Start program has
classes where two, three or more languages are spoken. Ten percent of Head
Start children have disabilities, including retardation and autism. “We’re
proud that Munroe-Meyer Institute has created the first partnership with
Head Start in Nebraska to assist in meeting the needs of this diverse group
of children.”
While there are several other universities in the country that have
Head Start programs on their campuses, many of these unions are landlord/tenant
arrangements and don’t offer the extensive access to highly trained specialists
that the UNMC arrangement provides, Dr. Evans said. He added that
UNMC’s partnership with Head Start is actually an expansion of an existing
service contract that has been in place for several years.
Today in America, there are more than 2,000 Head Start programs, serving
over 800,000 children. In Douglas County, there are 13 centers conducting
60 Head Start classrooms, serving more than 900 children.
The MMI Head Start class began Sept. 7. Children are eligible
according to family income, age of the child (between three and five years
old), and the evaluation the family’s social needs. The 60 children in
the UNMC Head Start program are divided into four classes of 15, with two
classes in the morning and two in the afternoon, meeting four days a week.
Class curriculum covers problem solving, sensory skills, physical fitness,
along with special literacy and math exercises. The children receive nutritional
meals and snacks and practice life skills in everything from basic personal
hygiene to eating family style, where food is passed from person to person
as part of learning cooperation and sharing.
“AThis partnership demonstrates the importance Head Start places on
creating advanced educational access to all our staff and programs,” said
Allyson Ridenour, center coordinator of the campus Head Start program.
“We get to use the best facilities and pick some of the best brains in
America. It doesn’t get any better from our perspective.”
Dr. Evans said, “We feel this collaboration could potentially evolve
into a model for other Head Start programs throughout the country.
We believe the results will be that positive.”
MMI provides a unique range of medical services for individuals who
have disabilities. These services are provided through outreach clinics
in the Omaha area and throughout Nebraska, in area school systems and in
the home setting.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. Nearly $31
million in research grants and contracts were awarded to UNMC scientists
during the past fiscal year. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are
responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska
than any other institution.