We have discussed the lasting, positive effects of Head Start in previous posts The Chillicothe Gazette reports that "Two women who were Head Start students return the favor to today's kids."
Peggy Free, who attended Head Start and sent her children through the program as well, remembers After starting as a volunteer, Free worked a full-time job, took care of her family, and went to school to earn the educational credentials needed to become a teacher. Based on her positive experiences with the program, Free decided she preferred to teach Head Start rather than teach at a higher level. The article says "…at an early age, she learned some of the concepts she now teaches, including turn-taking and problem solving." She also recalls that her teacher saved her from choking.
Demara “D.J.” Pettiford also attended a Head Start program and sent her children to the program as well. She says she knows what some families that enroll a child in Head Start are going through. By working for Head Start as a family advocate, she is continuing a family tradition since her mother drove van for Head Start when Pettiford was young.
These two women exemplify how Head Start lives up to its name: giving low income a head start in life by preparing them academically and socially for school. And while they could have applied their knowledge and skills anywhere, they chose to give back to the program that had given them so much.
If you were not already aware, this federally funded collaborative half day preschool program for children ages 3 to 5 is available in our area. There are Head Start classrooms at all four Lorain County Horizon Centers: Elyria, East Lorain, Southside (Lorain) and South Elyria (LMHA Wilkes Villa).
