It's not a unified school but the Head Start program has a lot of alumni and "Head Start group tries to track down 27 million alumni" explains why the National Head Start Association wants to learn more about this wide-ranging group that is scattered all over the country and perhaps even all over the world.
Data and statistics are good but a lot of times we are moved by people's stories. And the stories of Head Start alumni can help to bolster the program's image since, like many other government programs, it is being threatened with budget cuts.
While it is true that by the time we reach adulthood, we often don't have the strongest memories of our childhoods, the effects of a good education are long lasting.
Chuck Mills, a junior high valedictorian, U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Marine One pilot, bond trader and chief executive, was also the youngest of six who was raised by a single mother. When interviewed, he said Head Start was beneficial to him on different levels: he remembers there was a good lunch provided and this make sense because children who are hungry find it difficult to concentrate on other things. But he also sees that the program fed his mind: Mills credits the Head Start program for providing "…a solid base in reading and numbers and a love of learning."
At Horizon Education Centers, we know how beneficial Head Start can be—this is why we offer Head Start Classrooms at our Elyria, East Lorain, Southside (Lorain) and South Elyria (LMHA Wilkes Villa) centers.
And if you are or know a Head Start alum willing to talk about the benefits of the program, you can visit http://www.nhsa.org.
