Story submitted by: Randi Head Start alumni, parent and staff

I am Head Start!

I started in Head Start as a young child back in 1980! I remember it vividly as we had actual nails, hammer and wood to practice with outside. As I got older, I did not have any interest in school, as I was a child of a depressed, drug-addicted mom. I struggled in school and only went because it was the only place I could receive a free hot meal.

When I became a mom at the young age of 19, I had no idea how to be a parent as I did not have positive role models. My oldest daughter was a breeze, and I enrolled her at Head Start, where she flourished and made many friends. My second daughter was also an easy-going child, she was in a full day Head Start program because I was a working single mom at the time. She was shy but did well there and seemed to like it. Then comes my son, and oh boy was I in for it! He was lacking in language, so I again enrolled him in Head Start. This time, things did not go so well. He was the kid who when they walked in the door, teachers would say ” Oh yea, he’s here today”. My son cried every single day at drop off, hid under the table and would not come out. It got to the point that the teachers decided to move him to the PM class because they said that teacher was really great with kids like my son, I was willing to try anything at that point! My first encounter with his new teacher was so welcoming and she reassured me that he would be just fine, and I should think about volunteering in his class. Which I did, every day! I loved the environment so much, I decided to go back to school to learn more about child development.

I became who I am all because of Head Start. I am now a supervisor/coach for all early childhood programs in our district. Having started as a volunteer, a sub, an infant/toddler classroom teacher, a preschool teacher and now the supervisor for the last 8 years. I continued to watch to learn as much as I could, so I went back to get my master’s degree in education and now I also teach early childhood development classes as an adjunct professor for the local university. My children are all grown now, and doing very well, but they still remember their Head Start teachers. Specifically, my son, his Head Start teacher would see me at trainings and ask about my son, to this day, who is now 25. Head Start changes lives, and it can change the trajectory to a direction not even thought possible. I love to spread the word about Head Start and its benefits to not only children but families and even communities.