News and Events

Norfolk State University Collaboration
Grant: $500,000 over a 5 year period – Project Vision
150 Head Start/Early Head Start Teachers

Norfolk State University in collaboration with the STOP Organization Head Start Program and the Office of Human Affairs Early Head Start Program has been awarded a $500,000 grant to assist Head Start Teachers to attain their Bachelor Degrees in Early Childhood Education. The grant will fund Project Vision over a five year period with an expected participant count of 150 individuals.

The grant will provide approximately 56 Head Start Teachers currently employed by the STOP Organization to attain their BA degrees over the next 2 - 5 years.Specially designed accredited courses will be convened on Saturdays and evenings to avoid affecting established Head Start classrooms and enrolled children.The grant includes costs for tuition; books and other fees associated with the university, as well as provide for any special needs the participating individuals may have.Project Vision supports Head Start staffs return to the higher education setting without the underlying worry of securing financial assistance.The grant also enables the Head Start program to use its much needed training dollars to support larger numbers of non-classroom staff to improve their competencies in their specific service delivery areas.One of the expected outcomes of this grant will be to enable Head Start programs to staff their classrooms with "highly qualified" teaching staff and to improve teacher competency, which in turns improves the quality and effectiveness of classroom instruction. "Highly qualified" teachers will also enable Head Start programs to better position themselves in the development and implementation of collaborative classrooms in partnership with the local public schools.  

The STOP Organization has 30 teachers currently enrolled to participate beginning October 13, 2007.