Head Start Stories

My Head Start Story
Lisa Sullivan

     I was 19 when I became pregnant, and I did everything I could to prepare for what would become the single most important moment in my life. The birth of my son thrust me into baby bliss, but the bliss was all too short. I soon found out that I was not only a mother, but the mother of a seriously ill child.
     When John was five weeks old, he was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital where we learned that he has a life-threatening liver disease. I was crushed, and nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to face.
     Once we came home I began the process of evaluating John for the special services he needed to help with his development. At a year old, John still only weighed 13 pounds. Our weeks became filled with appointments, and John's wellness now consumed my life. It was obvious that I would be unable to return to work because of John's needs. I soon realized that, along with receiving Medicaid, I had to face the reality of becoming a single welfare mom.
     Client ID numbers, medical cards, and food stamps soon became our way of life. Luckily, there were programs in place to assist my son and me. For the first few years, John participated in the Early Intervention Birth-to-Three program in New London County; with their help, his development skyrocketed. When John was three, we were referred to the Thames Valley Council for Community Action (TVCCA) Head Start Program.
     I was thrilled to learn that Head Start focuses on both the parent and the child, recognizing the pivotal role that family plays in the growth and development of the child. John did well in Head Start, and I quickly became actively involved in the program. The support of Head Start staff was invaluable. Within the first six months, I had returned to school, taken my high school equivalency test, and received my GED. I began attending parent committee meetings, socializing with other parents, and attending parenting classes. During the next school year I began to volunteer extensively for the program. Also, I served on the Head Start Policy Council, the Head Start center committee, and my community action agency's board of directors.
     This was a very empowering time in my life. I began attending conferences and was elected to serve as my program's representative to the Connecticut Head Start Association. I later became Parent Chairperson of the association and was elected to represent Connecticut parents on the New England Head Start Association board. I now serve as a Region I representative to the NHSA Board of Directors.
     In the fall of 1995, I enrolled in an assessment of prior learning class at my local community college. I earned 39 credits towards my degree in one semester, because of the credit I received for my volunteer experience within Head Start. I graduated from college in 1997 and was honored as the outstanding student of my class. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
     Now, years later, I have left the welfare rolls behind and truly lifted my family and myself up by our bootstraps. In December 1998, I became totally self-sufficient when I received a full-time contract to work with the Connecticut Department of Social Services as a Parent Involvement Specialist.
     Head Start has provided me with many mentors, role models, and people who have had faith in my potential. Head Start has made me who I am today, and has truly become my family's foundation. It has given me in a few short years what I never could have imagined.

Head Start's Impact on My Life
Joy Baldridge

     When I first started working for Adams-Brown Head Start in 1994, as a provider in my home, I considered myself a nobody! I had no self-esteem, no future plans, and I had a handicap-no driver's license! Whenever things would get tough I felt like a turtle and would want to hide in my shell and not face the world. But now, in 1997, I have self-esteem, I have a future. I not only have a driver's license, but
     I have my commercial driver's license and I know I am somebody!
     In 1994, the position of Head Start Day Care provider became available to me. At first, I thought I can't do this; I'm not smart enough, and it will be another part of my life I will fail at. With the support and encouragement of my supervisor, I did it! I was finally accomplishing something in my life! As the year went on, she kept encouraging me to try for my driver's license. Again, I felt like I would fail and people would look at me as a nobody who couldn't do anything. But, with her encouraging words, "You can do it, just believe in yourself," I decided to go for it. I did it! I got my driver's license and even went on to get my CDL. Boy, was my self-esteem starting to boost. For once in my life I started to feel like I was a somebody and could accomplish goals that I set for myself. Today, I am working at the Adams-Brown Head Start program as a Bus Driver/Family Advocate. I really enjoy working with parents and encouraging them to believe in themselves, and set goals for the future so that they too know that they are somebody!
     Without my Head Start family I would not be where I am today! They have taught me how to believe in myself and that I can succeed in anything I set out to do. I am currently taking college courses to get a degree in early childhood education. I would like to someday become a lead teacher for Head Start so that I too can make a difference in someone's life as Head Start has made in mine!
     I want to thank everyone at Head Start for helping me build my self-esteem and showing me how to believe in myself. Whenever the days do get tough and I want to be that turtle once again, I know without a doubt that my Head Start family is always there with a smile, hug, or a note of encouragement to keep me trying for bigger and better accomplishments.

Back in Head Start
Frank Olguin

     "I was in the first class-and it worked!"
     These are the words of Frank Olguin, Region VIII Head Start Program Specialist. Frank is a graduate of the very first Head Start class, held during the summer of 1965. His classroom was in a modular unit on the grounds of the Eugene Field Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Frank and his family lived right across the street from the school, and every day Frank's mother-who had 13 children-walked him to and from school.
     Frank didn't specifically recall that he was a Head Start graduate until a few years ago, when he was home visiting his mother. It was then that she gave him the framed graduation certificate signed by Lady Bird Johnson and Sergeant Shriver and told him how Head Start changed the lives of his family.
     Mrs. Olguin remembers Frank's Head Start experience very well. Although his older siblings went to the same school, his mother had never spent time in the building before. It was the Head Start teacher who made her feel welcome there. She opened Mrs. Olguin's eyes to the value of education, telling her that education can open doors for anyone. Mrs. Olguin decided that helping her children gain an education was a way to help them succeed.
     Frank earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Highlands University in New Mexico and recently earned his master's degree from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado in Denver.
     Frank has worked for the Federal government since graduating from college. The more he learned about Head Start, the more he wanted to be a Program Specialist. When the opportunity opened up at the Regional Office, he quickly applied. Frank appreciates the value of Head Start and tries very hard to get his programs everything they need, including funds, in order for them to provide quality services to children and families. Frank knows that the people who work in Head Start can make a difference--they did for him. Head Start isn't just a job-it's a close community of people who care.
     Frank is also a new parent and he applies his Head Start knowledge regarding early childhood development and early brain development to his daughter. "For example," Fred says, "ever since Francisca was born, my spouse and I have read to her daily, including when I read the newspaper."
     Last year, Frank met Representative Loretta Sanchez at a Woman's Conference in Denver. In her speech she mentioned being a Head Start graduate, and Frank spoke to her afterwards. She signed his program, "To Frank, my fellow Head Start Graduate. Sigue Adelante! Con cariÑo, Loretta Sanchez."