About 30 men came to the Head Start building, 1130 Scott St., for a special after-hours event with their preschoolers who attend classes there.
“We have 100 kids, so that’s a really good percentage,” said Head Start teacher Tina Barrett. “Head Start believes that male involvement is very important to the development of children, so in the spring and in the fall, we always have at least one activity geared towards male involvement.”
The Head Start program is for preschool youngsters, 3 to 5 years of age. It provides classroom education that is developmentally appropriate, Barrett said, as well as other services — balanced meals that supply two-thirds to three-quarters of a child’s daily nutritional needs, free vitamins to be administered at home by parents, mental health services as needed, dental care and screenings that show whether a child needs special services from through the Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative.
“We really provide all services to make sure to have a healthy child,” Barrett said.
The men who attended the event on Nov. 2 took part in a number of activities with their children. Head Start workers had made an obstacle course with hay bales and pumpkins outside the building in the play yards. Roga Pumpkin Patch donated pumpkins for the party.
A story time and snack time also were part of the event.
“The dads and the children made scarecrows, and we had pumpkin-painting,” Barrett said. “All the dads, at least who I talked to, said they had a great time. There were just smiling faces throughout the center...
“I think that having a male involved in their lives as opposed to just a female helps them have a more-balanced feel of the world because men and women see things differently and respond to things differently. And also having that male participation really, I think, balances out how they act emotionally, how they develop intellectually,” Barrett said.
Plans are under way for a similar event in the spring.
“We don’t discourage moms from coming,” Barrett said. “It’s just nice to have male involvement.”