The author attended Head Start as a kid,
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When I was a kid, I joined the Head Start program as a low-income student.The federally funded program offered me a safe place to learn and socialize. I’m forever grateful for my time in Head Start.
Growing up in rural Michigan offered me so many meaningful experiences, but my childhood was also intertwined with poverty.
As a child, I attended Head Start, a federally funded program for low-income families. Since it began as an eight-week project in 1965, Head Start has served more than 30 million children.
In April, five of the Office of Head Start regional offices — in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle — were shuttered as part of the cuts to the US Department of Health and Human Services. As someone who attended Head Start, the early-childhood learning experience brought structure to my life for the first time and allowed me to learn and play in a safe and clean environment.
I’m now an educator with a policy background, nearly a decade of experience on education and general welfare issues, and my master’s degree. I believe my participation in Head Start helped make these opportunities possible for me.
Head Start taught me valuable skills at a young age
I still have some visceral memories from my time at Head Start. I remember having a symbol assigned to my nametag, which makes sense since most of us, children ages 3 to 5, were too young to know how to read. My older brother was the wagon, so I wanted to be that, too.
There were lots of toys. I vividly remember the sand table. By playing, we built motor skills, practiced communication, and gained knowledge with every action.
The classroom offered me a fun place to play, learn, and grow.
Though I had older siblings, Head Start allowed me to play with my peers and socialize in a supportive environment. By meeting new friends and learning how to interact with people outside my family, I gained new skills and experiences, which I needed before heading to kindergarten.
The program set me up for success
My early years prepared me for the rest of my life. Today, I have a deep love for education. I work as an educator. I’ve taught in higher education, early childhood education, and K-12. I also worked as a Legislative Director for the New York City Council on policy issues related to education and poverty.
Though I was born into poverty, I’ve been able to move into a middle-class life through educational opportunities. I’m forever grateful for my experiences at Head Start.
My concern is that children today won’t have access to the same opportunities that I had, which makes escaping poverty even harder.
Every child deserves free, safe, and supportive opportunities to learn. The building blocks of learning helped me become the person, writer, and educator I am today.
Children, especially poor kids like me, deserve the opportunity to bloom.
