Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

The satisfaction I derived from families and their children benefitting in major or minor ways from Head Start is inspirational. It gives me joy to know that some children and their families were helped because of the care invested by the Head Start staff. The desire of professionals to help is altruistic, and the testimonies that we do makes all the hard days bearable.

When the policy makers and government officials realize that the families appreciated the opportunities to be involved, and the successful impact it has had on their children throughout their lives; it will solidify the reasons Head Start must continue to exist.  If families and former student attribute their progress in life to Head Start, then this is proof that it can and has had a positive impact from childhood to adulthood.

One parent is thankful for the nutritional guidelines, the nutritional meals, and the wellness checks that proved her child was healthy. That her child’s obesity was not due to some disease, but her diet and exercise needed more information which Head Start shared.

Would these children be successful without the influence of Head Start, it is possible, but why should that chance be taken? Because Head Start motivates families to work together with their teachers to ensure that their children are progressing forward. Families are the other half of the teachers and the children, it takes all of us working towards the goal, it is a joint effort that would fail if one party was missing.