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Celebrating 60 years of Head Start: 40 Million kids and counting

Children and families have been receiving quality early care and education through Head Start for six decades and this year marks the organization’s 60th year of service. Tens of thousands of families in California depend on Head Start for early care and education.

CCRC has long operated over 20 Head Start and Early Head Start locations to better serve families in our community. For Jennifer Lopez, who teaches at Sherwood Head Start in Van Nuys, helping children learn and grow is truly rewarding.

“Once you see the little lightbulb turn on and they’re excited they got to master a skill on their own, that to me is the best,” says Lopez. “Out of everything I do in my job, that let’s me know I’m meant to be here and I’m doing something right for this tiny little human.”

That spark has fueled her work with kids for over 10 years. Helping young children learn and grow is her passion, one she shares with their parents.

“You truly get to know the families individually and you’re able to meet their individual needs,” says Lopez. “It’s not until you develop that rapport and build that trust with families that they start to tell you what they really need.”

As a former Head Start child herself, Early Care and Learning Director Betty Zamorano-Pedregon knows from lived experience that the program provides individualized services that provide comprehensive care.

“We’re concentrating on working together in how we really provide exactly what each child needs in each classroom, in each center,” says Zamorano-Pedregon.

Their needs are met with a safe learning environment, where kids receive healthy meals and snacks, education, and socialization. Health and developmental assessments are also included.

“They get that early intervention so they can speak more clearly with time, build gross motor development through therapy to help run, walk, jump, whatever the case may be,” says Lopez. “Even families that don’t need assessments, I think they’re thankful to know their children are being looked after while they’re working.”

Head Start offers a quality education that thousands of enrolled families otherwise could not afford.

“Lots of families are paying thousands of dollars for care like this,” says Zamorano-Pedregon. “These early educational and early comprehensive services really provide a foundation for families to be successful here, get the love of learning, and be able to continue on in their journey for education.”

CCRC believes this level of care should be available to all children, especially those with the least access. A recent partnership between CCRC and Hope the Mission is providing a first of its kind service that brings Head Start services to families at the Woodlands Homeless shelter. Children will soon have on-site services that enable them to receive early care and learning while their parents seek employment and receive services.

Head Start has provided a great head start in life to an estimated 40 million children since its inception in 1965 as a way to help end poverty in America. Since then, it has evolved to provide comprehensive early care and learning services that positively change the trajectory of families’ lives.

Learn more about the program and enroll your child today.

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