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Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: Cynthia
Story Submitted By: Cynthia, Head Start staff
Before joining Head Start, I was a young immigrant woman from Belize working at Carl’s Jr., studying early childhood education while trying to make ends meet. I carried the emotional weight of a difficult childhood and a strong desire to protect children from the kinds of challenges I endured growing up. When a friend told me about a job opening at the Los Angeles Urban League Head Start program in 1998, -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: GladysStory submitted by: Gladys, Head Start parent & Staff
In 1991, I moved to a small town with my family, hoping to leave behind the chaos of the big city. We built our home, started our life together, and dreamed of giving our children a better future. When my middle child turned four, I first heard about Head Start. Around that same time, my youngest daughter became very sick and had to be hospitalized. -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: RochelleStory submitted by: Rochelle, Head Start parent & Staff
My connection to Head Start began in 1999, when I enrolled my daughter in the Berkeley-Albany YMCA program while I pursued my Bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley. As a young mother determined to complete my education, I relied on the care, stability, and support provided by Head Start. Without this foundation, I would not have been able to successfully finish my studies and achieve my degree. -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: CandaceStory submitted by: Candace, Head Start parent & Staff
My journey with Head Start began as a parent looking for support for my child. In 2021, I enrolled my son in the homebased program because I was concerned about his speech. I had already shared my worries with this doctor, but they were brushed aside. It was discouraging to feel like my voice as a parent did not matter. After I met our home visitor, -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: IrisStory submitted by: Iris, Head Start parent and Parent Voices Leader from Marin
Before I found Head Start, I was struggling. I had severe postpartum depression and anxiety. I was constantly scrambling for child care for my two-year old daughter Lulu—calling sisters, cousins, neighbors—just to be able to go to work. Some days, people would bring Lulu to my job crying, and I felt like I was failing as a mother. I was exhausted, -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: KariStory submitted by: Kari, Head Start parent
At Head Start my older daughter picked up her letters quickly, but seemed to have trouble putting them all together in order to start reading. When she came home one day saying, “Mama, I’m not very good at reading,” I went to her teacher immediately for support. Within weeks, I saw my daughter’s confidence soar, with progress and results that have launched her to become an award-winning reader now that she is in Kindergarten. -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: ArishankeryStory submitted by: Arishankery, Head Start parent
Before Head Start, my son’s world was tiny — a world of incubators, oxygen tanks, and emergency alarms. Born at 25 weeks, weighing just one pound, he fought harder in his first minutes than most of us fight in a lifetime. But after surviving the NICU, he faced new battles: delayed speech, sensory overwhelm, and deep anxiety around new people and environments. As a Navy spouse with no family nearby and no U.S. -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: DoloresStory submitted by: Dolores, Head Start parent and staff
My name is Dolores, and I started out as a Teacher Aide and sometimes worked as the Bus Assistant in 1998 when I began working for Community Action Partnership of SLO at Valle Verde Migrant Head Start. After about five years, I got the position of Family Service Advocate and began working at Soledad Migrant Head Start.
At that time, we had a three-year-old child in our program. -
Head Start Stories
My Head Start Story: OlgaStory submitted by: Olga, Head Start parent and staff
As I began my education career at Woodland Community College, one of my electives was Early Childhood Development, and one of the requirements was to observe a childcare center. I went into a Head Start center and signed up to volunteer. I was very nervous, but the moment I saw the classroom, I had the best feeling. I knew I was in the right place and wanted to pursue this career. -
Head Start Stories
Head Start Cuento de JulianaStory submitted by: Juliana, Head Start parent
El programa está ayudando a mi hijo a ser más independiente de mamá; él busca realizar las cosas por sí solo. Esto se debe a la enseñanza de las maestras del programa. A mí también me ha ayudado a tener tiempo para realizar todas las tareas pendientes del hogar y, además, a tener la oportunidad de buscar un empleo, ya que ya no estoy preocupada por quién cuide a mi hijo.
