Early Head Start's 25th Year Anniversary - History and Impact

Summary

This video celebrates the history and impact of the Early Head Start program on families, communities, and the nation. Key figures like John Lombardi, Patti Cole, and Frank Fuentes discuss the program's beginnings, while agency directors and staff share their experiences implementing Early Head Start services. The video highlights the comprehensive nature of the program, its commitment to high-quality early developmental services, and its enduring support for vulnerable children and families. Testimonials from parents and staff underscore the transformative impact of Early Head Start, advocating for its expansion and continued success.

Takeaways

• 🎉 Early Head Start celebrates its history and impact on families, communities, and the nation during Head Start Awareness Month.
• 👶 The program started in 1965, initially serving preschool children, but expanded to include infants and toddlers by 1995.
• 🌟 Early Head Start focuses on serving vulnerable children and families, offering support from prenatal stages through early childhood.
• 🏠 The program collaborates with community partners and integrates services to provide comprehensive support to families.
• 📚 Early Head Start helps address issues such as lack of health insurance, untreated health conditions, and early language development.
• 💡 The program emphasizes the importance of early childhood education and development, starting from birth.
• 🤝 Early Head Start involves parents in the program, providing them opportunities for leadership and personal development.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The program supports diverse families, including migrant workers, by offering tailored services to meet their unique needs.
• 🎓 The success of Early Head Start is evident in the stories of staff and parents who have benefited from the program and now contribute back to it.
• 🌍 There is a strong emphasis on expanding the reach of Early Head Start to serve more eligible children across the country, aiming to alleviate poverty and support child development.

Q & A

Who is Wassi Tesfa and what is his role?

Wassi Tesfa is the Executive Director of Pacific Clinic's Head Start Early Head Start Program in Los Angeles, California. He is also the chair of the Region Nine Head Start Association.

What is the significance of the video mentioned in the script?

The video is meant to celebrate the history and impact of Early Head Start on families, communities, and the nation during the month of October, which is Head Start Awareness Month.

What is the role of Denise Lee in the Early Head Start program?

Denise Lee is the Deputy Director for the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency Head Start and Early Head Start programs in California.

What was the historical context of Early Head Start in relation to migrant programs?

Migrant programs had been serving infants and toddlers for 20 years before Early Head Start was introduced. The migrant programs had to use preschool per child funding to serve infants and toddlers, which was a struggle due to the higher costs associated with serving younger children.

What was the significance of the 1990s in the development of Early Head Start?

The 1990s saw a focus on serving younger children, with President Clinton's administration showing interest in expanding Head Start. The period also saw the reauthorization of Head Start in 1990, which focused on directing more money to quality.

What was the initial funding for Early Head Start grants?

The initial funding for Early Head Start grants was about 900 million dollars, with approximately 66 grants released in November of 1995.

What is the role of the Fatherhood Program in Early Head Start?

The Fatherhood Program is a 24/7 curriculum that focuses on the importance of being a father, improving knowledge for fathers, and giving them the skills to be better parents.

How has Early Head Start impacted the community and families?

Early Head Start has helped families change their lives by enabling parents to go back to school, find employment, and receive necessary services. It has also helped improve children's language development and social-emotional skills.

What is the role of the policy council executive board in Early Head Start?

The policy council executive board in Early Head Start is responsible for opening doors to experiences and opportunities for parents within the program, and it has been instrumental in helping parents become staff members.

What is the future outlook for Early Head Start as mentioned in the script?

The script suggests that there is a need to expand the program to all eligible children across the country, recognizing the enduring features of Head Start and Early Head Start that have supported families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Celebrating Early Head Start

Wassi Tesfa introduces herself as the executive director of Pacific Clinic's Head Start and chair of Region Nine Head Start Association. She expresses excitement about sharing a video celebrating Early Head Start's history and impact during Head Start Awareness Month. The video includes insights from leaders like John Lombardi, Patti Cole, and Frank Fuentes, along with agency directors and staff who implemented Early Head Start services in their communities.

05:01

📚 The Beginnings and Evolution of Early Head Start

The speaker reflects on their journey starting as a Head Start teacher assistant in 1972 and working in various roles within Early Head Start since 1998. They highlight the significance of Early Head Start in addressing health and educational disparities for young children and the foundational efforts by leaders in the 1960s and 70s, leading to the establishment of the program.

10:04

🔍 Policy and Expansion of Early Head Start

The text discusses the buzz around extending Head Start to infants and toddlers, supported by various leaders and organizations in the early 1990s. It details the legislative and policy efforts under President Clinton's administration, including recommendations from the Secretary's Advisory Committee and contributions from early childhood advocates. The first Early Head Start grants were released in 1995, marking a significant milestone in addressing the needs of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women.

15:05

🌟 Implementation and Growth of Early Head Start Programs

Leaders like Denise Lee, Ben Naki, and Sheri Wah share their experiences with implementing Early Head Start programs in California and Nevada. They emphasize the importance of partnerships, community involvement, and tailored services for infants and toddlers. The program's growth and impact over the years, including initiatives to support families transitioning out of homelessness, highlight the ongoing commitment to early childhood development.

20:07

🏠 Personal Stories and Program Impact

The text features personal stories from parents and staff who have been involved with Early Head Start. They discuss the transformative impact of the program on their lives and communities, including improved educational and employment opportunities for parents and enhanced support for children's development. The accounts underscore the program's role in fostering strong family relationships and providing essential resources for families in need.

Keywords

💡Head Start

Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. In the video, it is highlighted as a key initiative that has evolved to address the needs of children before kindergarten, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and comprehensive support for vulnerable families.

💡Early Head Start

Early Head Start is an extension of the Head Start program, targeting infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. It focuses on enhancing the development of young children and promoting healthy family functioning. The video celebrates its history and impact, particularly noting its beginnings, the roles of various leaders, and its expansion and effectiveness in serving younger children.

💡Region 9 Head Start Association

Region 9 Head Start Association represents Head Start and Early Head Start programs in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. The video discusses the efforts and achievements of Region 9, highlighting its leadership and contributions to the broader Head Start community during Head Start Awareness Month.

💡Quality Improvement

Quality improvement in the context of Early Head Start refers to ongoing efforts to enhance program services and outcomes for children and families. The video mentions various initiatives and reforms aimed at improving program quality, such as the work of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on the Future of Quality and Expansion and the influence of key early childhood advocates like Ed Ziegler and T. Berry Brazelton.

💡Two-Generation Approach

The two-generation approach involves addressing the needs of both children and their parents simultaneously, aiming to break the cycle of poverty. Early Head Start embodies this approach by providing educational, health, and social services to children while also supporting parents in their own educational and employment goals. The video underscores this approach as a foundational principle of Head Start programs.

💡Comprehensive Services

Comprehensive services in Early Head Start include early childhood education, health screenings, nutrition, and family support services. The video highlights how these services are designed to address the holistic needs of children and families, ensuring that they receive the support necessary for healthy development and school readiness.

💡Parent Involvement

Parent involvement is a critical component of Early Head Start programs, encouraging parents to participate actively in their children's education and development. The video features several examples of parents who have transitioned from being program participants to staff members, illustrating the empowering effect of parental engagement in the program.

💡Policy Council

A Policy Council in Early Head Start is a group of parents and community representatives who help govern the program. They provide input on program design and operations. The video mentions the involvement of parents in policy councils, showcasing how their participation helps shape the direction and quality of services provided.

💡Community Partnerships

Community partnerships are collaborations between Early Head Start programs and local organizations to enhance service delivery and resource availability. The video discusses how various programs have partnered with educational institutions, healthcare providers, and other community organizations to better serve families and improve outcomes for children.

💡Evaluation and Impact

Evaluation and impact refer to the assessment of Early Head Start programs to measure their effectiveness and outcomes. The video references the evaluation conducted by Mathematica, which examined the benefits of Early Head Start for children and families, noting varied impacts based on risk factors and highlighting the overall positive effects of the program on early childhood development.

Highlights

Introduction by Wassi Tesfa, Executive Director of Pacific Clinic's Head Start program and Chair of Region Nine Head Start Association.

The video celebrates the history and impact of Early Head Start during Head Start Awareness Month in October.

Contributions from leaders like John Lombardi, Patti Cole, and Frank Fuentes.

Introduction of the first Early Head Start program in Region Nine, led by Denise Lee of SETA Head Start.

Personal stories and experiences from agency directors and staff who have implemented Early Head Start services.

Historical context and challenges faced by Early Head Start programs, including lack of health insurance and untreated ear infections in children.

Significance of the migrant program serving infants and toddlers for 20 years before the official establishment of Early Head Start.

Passage of Early Head Start in the 1990s, leading to significant funding and focus on infants and toddlers.

Support from notable figures like Ed Ziegler, T. Berry Brazelton, and First Lady Hillary Clinton for early childhood policies.

Growth and expansion of Early Head Start programs and their positive impact on communities and families.

Personal testimonials from Early Head Start program participants, including parents and staff who benefited from the program.

Importance of individualized approaches in Early Head Start to meet the diverse needs of families.

Evaluation of Early Head Start's impact on children and families, emphasizing the benefits in language development and social-emotional growth.

Success stories of families overcoming challenges and achieving personal and educational goals through Early Head Start support.

Future goals and aspirations for expanding Early Head Start to serve all eligible children across the country.

Transcripts

[Music]

my name is wassi

tesfa i am the executive director of

pacific clinic's

head start early head start program here

in los angeles california

i'm also the chair of the region nine

head start association

i'm excited to share with you this video

celebrating the history

and the impact of early head start on

our families

communities and the nation during the

month of october

as you know we celebrate head start

awareness month

this year region 9 has captured some of

the key details

about the beginnings of early head start

from leaders like john lombardi

patti cole and frank fuentes

in addition you will hear from a number

of agency directors and staff

who have led the implementation of early

head start services

in their local community including

the first early head start program in

region nine

now led by denise lee of said a head

start

as well as greetings from national head

start association chair

damon carson of neighborhood house this

video tells the story of parents staff

and others who have contributed to the

movement

we hope you will enjoy the presentation

share it with your staff and community

partners

[Music]

enjoy

[Music]

it all started for me when i was a head

start teacher assistant

in 1972. i have been part of this early

head start program

since 1998. i was the migrant head start

chief in the late 1980s

to mid 1990s i got the opportunity to

work for

head start in 2006 and i joined as an

early educator

it's been just an amazing journey an

opportunity

to give back to my community the

entryway

into creating tremendous opportunities

for vulnerable

children and families and we say nha we

like to

be committed to them developing in their

excellence and that certainly begins

with early head start

i was a graduate student at the time in

this emerging

early childhood movement and like all

good head start

teachers in the summer before the

children came this was a class of three

year olds back in 1972

we began visiting each family and i was

so impressed

with the interest but as i learned

more and more about the children what i

began to see

is ear infections that went unattended

because of lack of health insurance

children who had had asthma already and

for years before that

children that were still learning

language

and hadn't been exposed to as much

reading and language as

we would want and i wondered to myself

even back then in 72

why are we waiting so long little did i

know at the time

that the founding fathers and mothers of

head start

had thought about this in 1965 they knew

the importance of serving young children

but at that time

even taking that first step of serving

children

before kindergarten was a big step so

although they came back to that issue as

early as the next year

when they launched 33 parent child

centers

in 1966 and then

in 1969 the migrant program started

serving infants and toddlers

[Music]

the fact that i was the branch chief for

the migrant head start program was

significant

in that at the time of early head start

the

migrant programs had been serving

infants and toddlers for 20 years

i was excited to see the passage of

early head start

from two perspectives one that there was

going to be an

infusion of funding into the care of

infants and toddlers

because up to that point the funding for

grantees

was based on preschool children the

migrants

had to use that preschool per child

funding

to serve infants and toddlers at the

time there was no recognition that

infants and toddlers cost about

two-thirds more than preschool children

and so the migrants struggled mightily

with the budgets they were given

to serve the number of zero to five that

they were

reaching out to and it was an

opportunity

for the migrant programs to share their

knowledge and expertise

in serving infants and toddlers for 20

[Music]

years

[Music]

there was a buzz around extending her

head starts vision

down to babies which of course had

already been there

from the beginning with migrant and

seasonal head start so we had been doing

work in the subcommittee

on children about supporting families

and early development

and we were looking also for a place to

do a way to do

more around that in 1992 when president

clinton was elected even before he took

office

he had an economic summit and elizabeth

shore

spoke at that point at the economic

summit about the importance of serving

younger children

at the same time the carnegie

corporation of new york

had a task force on serving younger

children

in which several papers came out

recommending

serving children under three so this was

really kind of a golden age of

children's policy

we've been through a reauthorization of

head start in 1990

where we made some really big changes in

the

statute to really focus on directing

more money to

quality and we'd also had a lot of other

progress

that included enacting the first

national program for child care in many

decades

the family and medical leave act had

passed multiple times

and was finally signed into law in 1993

and so at the same time more and more

attention was being paid to the earliest

years

in 1993 when the president

took office and had a big interest

in expanding head start and put together

a secretary's advisory committee on the

future

of quality and expansion and head start

that the strong recommendation came out

again

to serve younger children and although

there was a lot of debate

in the committee about whether we

improve existing programs whether we

expand upon existing programs or we

start

new ones the report did find

that there was a recommendation to move

forward health and human services donna

shala pulled together

a commission on quality improvement and

that included

the actual commercial staff it wasn't

just that it was supposed to include the

principles

but it included a bipartisan group of

congressional staff that sat in on the

commission

and that's really where early head start

came into being

[Laughter]

[Music]

finally the grants were first released

at 900 million dollars i believe about

66

grants in november of 1995.

so we went through a 30-year period from

1965

to 1995 before we really began to

seriously

address infants and toddlers and

pregnant women in the program

two early childhood titans were very

active around the importance of policies

that support infantile

development so one was ed ziegler who

was of course the known as the father of

head start but he was also passionate

info toddler advocate

and the other was tea barry brazelton

who we called america's pediatrician

so they were promoting policies that

directly supported

early development across the home in

formal early childhood settings

and that was a goal that was looking for

a home another key player we had

an early childhood champion in the white

house

in the form of the first lady hillary

clinton who

of course had been involved with the

children's defense fund

totally got all of these early childhood

issues and was really an

advocate and the whole clinton

administration was really keen to expand

on head start and dig deeper into

ensuring quality

i believe it was julie richmond who had

served as the first

director of head start in the mid-60s

who came up with the name

early head start and i love that name

because

it showed the link to head start but it

had that distinction

[Music]

my name is denise lee and i have the

honor and the privilege of serving as

the deputy director for the sacramento

employment

and training agency head start and early

head start programs

here in california my name is ben naki

i'm the vice president of early

childhood education programs

at parents and children together i am

sheri wah i

am the director here at the child and

family research center at the university

of nevada

and also the early head start director

i have been at the university for 30

years

and i have been part of this early head

start program since 1998

and proud to be part of it santa was

going to go

full force into it and work with its

delegate agencies and other partners in

the community including the county

office of ed

teaching strategies sonoma state

university

and put their heads together to come up

and write a

wonderful grant to serve this very new

age group

it wasn't just a grant that you wrote

what partners you would harness

to get a good score on your grant it was

really

well thought out partners that can bring

really great resources to the table

because while head start deeply knew and

understood

how to work with the three to five year

olds in all of at what

time we called cornerstones for the

performance standards now to switch that

into

this young age group required all of us

to put a different thinking cap

on and be open to different partners

that brought things to the table so

it was very fun to read that we started

out with the proposal to be 75

pregnant women and high risk families

with children zero

to three at the time seda was about 3

000 children large today we serve over 6

000

families and almost 40 years in service

we're about 12 classrooms right now

looking to get to about 15 classrooms

three years ago we were approached

by a local developer who was interested

in

developing a housing we call it a

village here a village that would be

exclusively for families that are

transitioning out of homelessness

the program was really designed for

families who are

you know need a home they would give

them a home and they would be able to

live there

for generations and hence the

terminology village

it's always been about the children and

the families

babies are what drive us here

and we love to provide high quality care

for infants and toddlers so that's been

the most exciting thing

as i say we started as a very small

grantee with 64

children over the years we've grown but

we're still a

pretty small grantee we only serve 180

early head start kids and instill the

babies every day

and make it fun and satisfying and

the reason that we come

hello everybody i'm john love and

my midway through my career of

mathematica we got this opportunity from

the

office of planning research and

evaluation in administration for

children and families

to take on the task of doing the

evaluation

of the new early head start program

[Music]

between about 1996 and 2002

when the final report of the main

evaluation

was published we knew which children

went into head start which

went into some other kind of pre-k

program in which children had no

experience after their early head start

one thing that

right away began to realize is we can't

start thinking about

early head start as a one-size-fits-all

kind of program

all families were at risk as we define

it because they're all low-income

but we've looked at other areas as well

like

whether the parents had graduated from

high school whether the mother was a

teen mom or not

anyway we've got a whole range of risk

factors and one thing we found is that

the program had different

degrees of impact depending on the

levels of risk in those families

the second one i would say is that all

children can benefit

all children can benefit from head start

and early head start

that doesn't mean that all children do

benefit and here again

becomes the task of the programs

to see what you can do to make sure that

the services you're providing

meet the needs of your families like

don't try to squeeze a family that

really needs home visiting into the

center-based program

and that sort of thing another thing i

might say is that not all children

benefit

in the same way some children see

benefits

in terms of their language development

some children in terms of their social

emotional

so that's that's a really strong benefit

i started my journey with early head

start through my daughter in 2011.

i am a parent of

head start i had been in head start

before coming into early head start i

was a child back in 1964.

when my child was going into her second

year of head start

i was able to finish my undergraduate

degree and i applied to a head start

program

in 2013 as well and i was able to get my

job because i had that experience as a

head start parent

my journey with head start started when

my daughter was three years old and we

lived in trenton north carolina

and now i am currently an employee of

foothill family

agency as a home-based supervisor

the families that we serve for the most

part are dealing with

poverty they're dealing with a lot of

heavy issues

and so not in that level but as a parent

i can

associate i can relate to them i didn't

know anything about head start i

enrolled her

in the preschool program it was amazing

that her teacher was so involved that

once she

met me and she saw me she got me quickly

involved in the parent committee

and i became a president of the parent

committee

and in that role in volunteering the

classroom her teacher said i think you'd

be great as a family service worker

and she persuaded me to apply for the

job and 30 years later

my career has been head start but once

you get the head start feeling down in

your bones

it's kind of hard to move on to

something else

now that i have a nine month old all of

the tools that the teachers provided

all of the things that they were able to

introduce to me as my daughter's first

teacher now i'm able to apply to my

second daughter so i'm glad i was able

to start my journey an early head start

at flood hill family

and continue now as an early head start

manager and being able to connect with

families

and connect with parents and understand

their journey because i went through

that journey with them

throughout that journey to get to

witness the power of belief

believing in them and they believing in

themselves

and being able to make an impact in the

lives of their children

to being able to feel like they're doing

something good for their children

because a lot of times our families

might have not finished high school

but they still have that desire and that

commitment to their children living a

better life than

what they were able to give themselves

it does

task and we're her soul we are

very empathetic we can feel we

acknowledge

and that's why we have those reflective

sessions with

professional where staff can actually

share what's on their mind

as supervisors we have protected time

and reflect as well

we're very fortunate to have a lot of

resources it's very rewarding in the

heart

[Music]

with early head start a big thing is

that you're always going to be

surrounded by positive

people who want to look forward to a

better future i really think

the program the early head start program

head start overall

is wonderful because children at this

age being 0

3 0 5 it's like the building that

foundation for school readiness

if you don't have a good foundation just

like a house if you don't have a good

foundation

the house is gonna fall over right our

goal and my personal goal is to create

impact in our community and to create

impact in the families we serve

because ultimately i live in this

community i was born and raised in the

community i serve

so the impact that we are creating is

what we are going to receive as we you

know grow older and our families grow

together

families have been able to change their

lives

parents have been able to go back to

school find employment

receive necessary services for helping

them

work with their child whether it's

challenging behaviors or

just learning how to manage the everyday

stressors of being a parent

the fatherhood program it's a 24 7 that

curriculum

it talks about the importance of being a

father how to be a better father

improves the knowledge for those fathers

and also gives them the

behavior at one point we had a son and a

father

the son he was going to have his first

son and then

his dad had just also remarried

and he was going through this program as

well

the youngest son was talking about some

of the things that he didn't see in his

father like he was not very

close to him he never said that he felt

that he was loved

and it was very touching because you

know his father was right there sitting

with us

and he kind of stopped the class and he

was like i'm really sorry i just

i don't know how to express myself and

then now they were both

becoming a father again you know they

started having a closer relationship

my name is orlando moore and i'm with

the

sunrise children's foundation early head

start i became a father at a very young

age and i was introduced to the early

head start program through my mom and my

sister

they were more than a daycare to me and

my children the teachers were like

family they made me feel welcome and

respected

they held special trainings and events

for dads like myself

and others after school programs they

would call

us and want the parents to be more

hands-on with their children and they

wanted me to come observe

how they were interacting with my kids

so

that was a big thing for me because you

know i was always uncomfortable with

sending my kids

different places without my presence she

had like a real bad speech impediment so

they helped her a lot with her language

pronouncing

you know a lot of different words from

my experience i thought i had the best

experience but

from other fathers they were loving the

program just as much as i was

i hope the funding for this program

never goes away because it has helped so

many fathers in so many different ways

kalynn was around one year old when i

made the phone call to enroll her

and here we are almost four years later

and we are with

kids community which is part of placer

county community action

being on policy council executive board

has opened doors to experiences

that i never knew existed there's so

much opportunity for parents within

early head start and head start and i

have personally witnessed

parents become staff and i'm so proud of

all the staff at kids community

and our executive director denise

cardoza who believes so much

in all the parents and all the staff and

i'm just so honored to have been a part

of kids community

looking forward given how

how important the program is given where

we are with

poverty in the united states we know

that we've got a high percentage of

black and latino children

that whose families are in poverty

unfortunately we still serve seven or

eight percent

of the children in poverty we can do

better than that

the country can do better than that we

should be expanding the program to

all eligible children across the country

and i think that should be the goal

recognize the soundness of the vision

behind head start this comprehensive

nature

its insistence on high quality early

developmental

services and empowering of families and

the two generation approach which now is

a buzzword but it's been in head start

and early head start from the beginning

these are enduring features that have

not only stood the test of time

but they've stepped up to support

families during the cove

19 pandemic and i think that is just

such a tribute

elevate the program continue to elevate

the program

continue to improve quality continue to

advocate for more access but more

importantly

you know enjoy your time many people

refer to this work as god's work

so when you're doing something that's

obviously very important you need to

enjoy it

so my hope is that they enjoy their

opportunities they enjoy their working

environments each and every day

i want to wish early head start a very

happy

25th birthday to the next 25 years

and beyond to the rest of the nation you

know we're right alongside everybody

we're so stoked you know you guys are

really

making a difference in our community

thank you for

jumping on board with this wonderful

[Music]

program

[Music]

you