HEAD START, operated by Family Services of Westchester, has been Building Up Children & Families for 60 Years

The advice Ximena Brack heard about Head Start would change her life.

Now, she’s passing that advice forward.

Six years ago, Brack, a single mother with two small children, had little proficiency in English, no job and no income. While her son, Iker, at 5 ½ was old enough to attend kindergarten, she had no one to watch her daughter, Olivia, 2 ½, while she looked for work.

“Through talking with a lot of people, relatives and friends, I heard about Head Start and enrolling Olivia became a turning point in the lives of our family,” she said. “It gave me peace of mind to know my child was in a nurturing and loving enviroment.”

Head Start, as operated by Family Services of Westchester (FSW) at 11 sites throughout Westchester (including four partner sites), serves nearly 1,000 children up to the age of five. The federally-funded program was created in 1965 to give preschool children from families with low-incomes a “head start” on their readiness for elementary school. It also supports parents and families in their roles as the primary influencers of their young children’s education and development by helping them sharpen their parenting skill and learn how to navigate the school system.

In addition to providing a comprehensive, quality preschool education, Head Start offers health and nutritional advice to parents and their children, serving them breakfast, lunch and healthy snacks. It emphasizes cognitive and language development – an estimated 70 percent of the families served by FSW’s program are Spanish speaking – and helps families move towards economic self sufficiency.

“We focus on building families up," said Joquene Hall Ramirez, Senior Vice President, Early Childhood and Head Start Programs at FSW. “Head Start is about so much more than preparing children for school, it’s about building strong, confident families. We work together with parents as their child’s first and most important teacher, ensuring children leave our program ready for kindergarten and beyond, while parents feel empowered and supported in every step of their journey.

“We partner with families to connect them with housing, food, education, job opportunities, and community resources. We create a welcoming environment where parents feel comfortable coming into the classroom, asking questions, and being actively involved in their child’s learning. Our goal is for every family to leave Head Start with not only the tools for school success, but the confidence to thrive in all areas of life.”

Studies over the years have shown the benefits of Head Start in the lives of their children and families. Children were found to perform significantly better on a range of cognitive, language and social-emotional development measures than the norm. Compared with more affluent families, Head Start children were found to be at the same levels in early reading and writing and nearly the same in early math and vocabulary. Meanwhile, studies found that their parents scored higher on many aspects of home environment and parenting behavior.

Like other parents of Head Start children, Brack was invited to attend Olivia’s classes. She grew close to the teachers and got to see their passion up close. She soon noticed the changes in her own life, as well as Olivia’s, as she became totally immersed in the program.

Today, she is a senior administrative assistant at FSW, working on the same program that once supported her and her family, and is a member of its Policy Council. She sees the long-term benefits of the program with her daughter, who she says is now an excellent student and “super” independent 8 ½-year-old with good social skills and high self-esteem.

“The program really, truly supported my child’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional growth, while helping me become more present and involved in the life of my child,” she said.

Getting now to work closely with the parents of Head Start children, she can’t help but see herself in them. “There are wonderful family activities and workshops for parents and guardians,” she said. “The parents are so grateful, but at the same time they are becoming so engaged in their children’s lives.

“The amazing thing is that I now get to work for the same organization that once suported me and I have the chance to give back with the same love and the same passion that was given to me.”

Registration is now underway for FSW’s Head Start Fall program. For more information call (914) 358-5776.