The Development of the Whole Child

Abstract

Both meal times and the gross motor period were included in the instructional day primarily to address the physical needs and development of the children. Head Start programs must provide nutritious meals to students: breakfast, lunch, and, in a full-day program, an afternoon snack. Head Start programs must also provide a period to focus on large muscle development. Both schools met these requirements by providing meals and gross motor time during the instructional day. All four classrooms had a morning gross motor period of at least one half hour.