I am so grateful to be able to send my kids to preschool. I never thought I'd be able to do it, but Head Start has given me this great gift. I've pasted a speech/testimonial I wrote and presented at a Head Start Policy Council recognition dinner back in October of last year. It should give you a good idea of how Head Start works.
For the record, I've removed the location for protection.
I
never thought I’d send my kids to preschool.
Back when I was kid-free and let’s face it – worry-free, I’d hear my band mates and musician friends
who had kids stress over:
- · the best school to send their toddler to
- · the dreaded waiting list, and even scarier,
- · the thousands of dollars it would cost.
At
that point, I succumbed to the idea of homeschooling my kids when the time
came.
Then
my wonderful kids came along – Kingsley, my fiercely
joyful 5-year-old and now in kindergarten; and Destiny, who is 2.5 and
the brightest star in my sky. But almost
two years ago, when I started looking into homeschooling, a friend had
mentioned Head Start. Finding three centers within four miles of
where I lived, I decided to enroll Kingsley at *** Head Start. The process was smooth and easy, and the
great, insightful staff, who saw my little Destiny with me at Kingsley’s
enrollment, just happened to mention the Home Base
program. Within weeks of the
beginning of Kingsley’s pre-school experience, I became a mom of two Head Start
kids simultaneously. At that point, I
decided I really wanted to be a
part of their pre-primary education. I
was elected Parent Committee Chair for both *** and Home Base, and Policy
Council rep for Home Base.
What
has that experience been like? The first
word that always comes to mind is EMPOWERING.
It is being involved beyond my
children’s education. It is being a part
of something where my voice really makes a difference. It is being involved in the community, and
being able to give back to what has helped my
family in so many aspects – from medical assistance to
employability and more. It is having a
deep understanding of how successful institutions function, and because of
that, it is inspiring. Most of all, I got to be, on
a monthly basis, in the company of some of the most wonderful people
I’ve ever met. Policy Council meetings, though attendance has been a bit of a challenge for me
– with two kids, two jobs,
music, and school all on my plate – have been a pleasure to
attend, to say the least. I will look
back at this experience and remember that day that I was elected Policy Council
rep for Home Base – overwhelmed
and having no idea how I’d be able to juggle all these responsibilities – and smile, because it has been an amazing
experience.
