From the
Head Start Program (Childrens
Services)
We have had some great triumphs in our Head Start Program. One
of the most rewarding successes has been the empowerment of our
families.
One such case is a family that
started at Buen Prinicipio Head Start in Sun Valley, California.
This family was very similar to many of the other families we
serve. The mother and father were both 24. They had a 6-year old
son and two daughters 4 years and 1 year old. The mother of
this family had a spark in her. You could see she wanted to get
involved and make a difference. She not only wanted to make a
difference in her life but in the life of her children. She became
involved in the Policy Council and in the Policy Committee. But
there was still more she wanted and went after it. She just needed
a little push, with the support and encouragement of her Family
Advocate, she got involved with a program at LACOE (Los Angeles
County Office of Education). This program was the Vista Program (Ameri
Corps Vista Program).
Through the Vista Program this
parent developed different skills, which focused on education,
health, nutrition, and safety as well as communication and
organizational skills. The parent took full advantage of the
program, getting involved with as much of Vista as she could.
There was no stopping her once she got her momentum. For the
second half of her Vista program she was to come to VOA Maud Booth
and volunteer 40 hours a week. She came to our agency and slowly
transitioned into our program. As one of the managers that got to
work with her, I expected her to be a typical volunteer. But after
a while she proved to all of us that she was very capable of doing
much more than answering phones and making copies.
She slowly began to create and
conduct workshops for our families and staff. She also began to
assist our staff in many of our big events of the year, including
our Health Fair and Parent celebrations. She was also crucial in
our enrollment and recruitment process. As well as assisting in
the tedious and sometimes difficult process of enrolling families
into our Head Start Program. Our group of Managers and Family
Advocates slowly began to use our parent / volunteer, not only for
presentations, but for her knowledge, speaking ability and
experience, she became an incredible resource to our agency.
As her year was winding down, VOA
Head Start had an opening for a Family Advocate. This parent was a
natural for the position. She not only had a desire to applied and
was hired as a Family Advocate.
This parent has really immersed
herself and has taken advantage of all that Head Start has to
offer. She has since enrolled at the local community college and
resumed her college career. She has also become an outstanding
Family Advocate and has a genuine concern for the program and the
children. She believes in everything Head Start has to offer. She
is not only a role model to our Head Start families, but also to
our staff, and become an essential part of Head Start program.
Click here for more information
about our
Head Start Program.
