As reported in the April 13, 2005 edition of the Times & Democrat.
OCAB Head Start touts successes as national program faces funding crunch
Calvin Hart wasn't born with a
silver spoon in his mouth, but he has a success story that's all his own to
share. He has fond memories of being a student in the
Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency Inc. Head Start
Program. The 28-year-old recalls his teacher's dutiful hand in molding him into
the productive college student, soldier and teacher he eventually became.
Hart graduated from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in 1995 and went on to earn
a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences and child development from
South Carolina State University.
Ever eager to foster his love for children, Hart became a Head Start teacher in
2001. Whenever he has a problem or doesn't understand something, he goes
straight to the teacher who gave him a head start on an education, Sarah
Gaffney, head teacher at the North Road Head Start Center.
Hart served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and recently completed a 13-month
tour of duty overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His young students
always stayed on his mind. When he returned from Iraq in March, he was glad to
get back to the Holly Hill Head Start Center to mold them as was molded more
than 20 years ago.
"I love working with kids,
especially the smaller ones," Hart said. "I think it's something great and
special in doing it. I feel I can touch the smaller kids better than the older
ones and be a role model in their life. I'm trying to give back what was given
to me. I think it's a blessing that my very first teacher is still here."
Hart's success story would be a perfect fit among the more than 10,000 sought
for the National Head Start Association's new Web site campaign.
The stories of former Head Start students and volunteer parents nationwide are
being sought in order to show the early-learning program works and should remain
available for future generations of America's most at-risk children who require
specialized help in order to prepare for kindergarten and beyond.
The IGotAHeadStart.org Web site features the inspirational Head Start success
stories of 12 Americans, including National Football League legend Deion Sanders
and U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.
NHSA President and CEO Sarah Green said, "The goal is to give voice to what
until now has been a silent powerhouse of the 20 million former students and
millions more parent volunteers. Even as Head Start celebrates its 40th
anniversary, it faces challenges."
Calvin Wright, executive director of The OCAB Community Action Agency Inc., said
the program has faced "contentious" funding issues. Its Head Start Program
serves 704 children — ages 3 to 5 — at 12 centers in Orangeburg, Bamberg,
Calhoun and Allendale counties and is directly funded through the U.S. Health
and Human Services Department's Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
"We are really being tested now because Head Start should have been reauthorized
last year, but it was not with Congress not being able to agree," Wright said.
"Right now, we're going to have receive the smallest increase in the 2005 budget
since President Nixon's era. It's certainly being challenged, but we are going
to tell a story and ensure that Head Start is around for 40 more years."
Wright said the children's performance in meeting national standards through the
National Reporting System in the fall of 2004 is a successful testament in
itself. In the English Language skill area, 91 percent of Head Start met
standards, exceeding the national average of 80 percent. For letter recognition,
40 percent of Head Start students met the standards compared to the national
average of 25 percent.
Along with preparing children for school entry and with life skills, the program
is also noted for its success in helping families meet self-sufficiency goals
and involving parents in the classroom, program governance and advocacy.
"It's not just academics. It's a social development program," Wright said,
touting the program's Family Literacy Program, award-winning Male Involvement
Program and Head Start Policy Council, of which parents must constitute 51
percent of the membership.
Hart said he especially loves the way Head Start parent volunteers are treated.
Their experience in the classroom can qualify them for training, which can help
them to find child care jobs. Still others are offered help in obtaining a high
school General Equivalency Diploma or other adult education opportunities and
even a college degree.
"Parents who thought they'd never have a chance are given a chance. The program
has even benefitted me," he said. "People look for kids from low-income families
who attended Head Start centers to be failures in life. That doesn't mean
they're not going to make it because I made it."
Head Start Director Necole Stroman said the program has also exceeded a mandate
that 50 percent of teachers have a degree in the field of early childhood
development or a related field. Four teachers have already made that mandate are
now either pursuing or have just completed a master's degree.
She shared several success stories, including Head Start education coordinator
Alice Middleton, who started out as a parent volunteer before earning her
undergraduate degree. Middleton went on to become a Head Start teacher and is
now working on a master's degree. Her daughter and grandson were both Head Start
students.
Family Service Coordinator Berley James was also a parent volunteer and teacher
who went on to earn a master's degree in family development.
"If you set artificial barriers as in requiring that people have a four-year
degree before working in the Head Start program, we wouldn't have had enough
people to work with the program back then. A lot of those who have gotten their
degree through the Head Start program, or through the OCAB Community Action
Agency, are now even in the public school system, and that's not a problem," he
said.
Wright said the local community has given outstanding support to the program.
Area dentists, doctors and philanthropists have helped the agency to provide
free eye screenings and medical and dental care to eligible children.
Twenty percent of total program costs are supported by local contributions from
the community.
"That's how we generate the $1 million that we have to generate locally to match
the $4 million that we get from the federal government," Wright said. "That's
matched and accounted for every year.
"People need to understand that there's great local support for Head Start. It
is the nation's jewel and unequaled when it comes to preparing youngsters for
learning."
