Early Childhood Education

The PAL Early Head Start / Head Start programs provide a safe, secure, developmentally appropriate environment and emphasizes active family engagement and strong collaboration with the local community. PAL Staff is composed of certified teachers, social service staff, mental health and health consultants, food service coordinator, nutritionists, dance & music instructors, and an instructor for gardening.

PAL has been providing vital Early Childhood education to New York City families for more than 50 years. PAL's learning environment for Early Head Start (EHS 2 year olds), and Head Start (HS 3-5 year olds) children enables us to address each child’s individual strengths and needs, giving them a strong social emotional, physical, language, literacy and cognitive foundation prior to entering kindergarten. 

PAL is helping parents and children with special needs transition into the next phase of their journey through collaboration with Kids Centric, Early Intervention, the Committees for Preschool and Special Education. These partnerships enable PAL to support transitions and daily engagement with families including providing activities that complement children’s IFSP and IEP goals.    

Qualified early childhood professionals ensure that children are given the best learning experiences through use of the Head Start Early Outcomes Framework (HSELOF), Creative Curriculum, Teaching Strategies GOLD and state common core learning standards.  Educators use positive and effective teaching practices aligned to Head Start and state standards which foster increased preparedness for kindergarten and beyond. 

There are seven Head Start programs (5 serve Early Head Start children ages 2-3)  throughout Brooklyn and Queens.  We currently serving 569 children  ages 2 - 5. The staff provide families with education, social service, physical and mental health support, etc.  PAL EHS/ HS programs operate throughout the year and children are provided a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack daily. 

PAL EHS/ HS programs place a strong emphasis on the nutritional and physical needs of children and families. S.P.A.R.K. (Sports, Play & Active Recreation for Kids) with Eat Well, Play Hard and the Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are utilized to promote physical development and focus on eating healthy foods.  For more information, please refer to the USDA Civil Rights: Non-Discrimination Statement.

Through Bridging the Achievement Gap, parents receive books every month to read with their children at home. A Word of the Month is selected and translated in multiple languages in celebration of cultural diversity and dual language learners which are posted on bulletin boards in the classrooms.  To promote language development and social emotional skills, PAL EHS/HS programs utilize the Mantra Lingua Talking Pen which includes bilingual books, recordable labels and a plethora of activities and strategies to enhance the use of primary and secondary languages.   

Parents seeking Early Education Opportunities in the PAL Program should complete the attached form.   A team member for the department will contact prospective family to determine eligibility for the program.