Children who learn how to do things for themselves are
nearly always happier children: more confident, more outgoing, and ever more
ready to take on new tasks. We see, on a daily basis, that success leads to
success.
Our experience at Head Start – every day of each year – is that children learn to clean up after
themselves very readily, needing only the most modest of help: like holding the
dishpan steady for a three-year-old as she maneuvers the plate and fork to
scrape off her leftovers. At Head Start, we try hard to create an environment
in which everything the children do becomes a part of their education, part of
a daily routine that lets them feel good about themselves.