Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Head Start: Welcoming parents to grow

Sep 05, 2002

This article originally appeared in the March-April 2002 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Pathways to Parent Leadership
Head Start: Welcoming parents to grow
With opportunities to be leaders and ongoing support, Head Start parents thrive
By Eve Pearlman


"Just the name itself feels good," says Iman Rashid, of the title of vice president, an office she was elected to by the other parents at the South San Francisco Head Start. As an officer, Rashid, a 32-year-old mother of four who emigrated from Jordan when she was twelve, negotiated such difficult issues as whether?—as some parents requested?—a divider should separate the boys and girls toilets (they decided yes) and how to spend the center?’s parents fund (they opted to help pay for individual portraits of the children).

As a member of the regional policy council, Rashid was involved in such major issues as defining the center?’s goals and objectives, budget allotments, and oversight of center staff. All officers attend a training meeting at their local Head Start and another at the regional offices and receive a manual on their responsibilities and how to handle them. Key to it all? "Staff is always available to help," says Rashid. "We handled things together."

"Head Start requires us to create different kinds of opportunities for parent involvement," says Amy Liew, executive director of the Institute for Human and Social Development (IHSD), which manages the South Francisco site and nine other Head Starts in San Mateo County.

Founded in 1964 as part of the "war on poverty," Head Start?’s aim is to ensure that there?’s a comprehensive support system for all the children enrolled in the program. "The structure is designed to give parents a voice," Liew says. "And because of this parents know they?’re being valued."

As a leader, Rashid found the chance to work with her fellow parents exhilarating: "I would say ?‘we have an idea?’ or ?‘we should do it this way?’?…and we?’d try to work out so we could all go home happy." As a parent, she relied on the support of teachers and advocates: "I?’d walk in and say I had a bad day," says Rashid, "and they?’d sit and listen and it was more like a family then a teacher-parent sort of thing."

"The reason we?’re successful," says Rheta Moran, who has worked as a Family Advocate for Head Start since her son went through the program in the ?‘70s, "is how the staff approach parents. We don?’t just help them; we help to make them self sufficient."

"We give parents an opportunity to grow, if that?’s what they want," says Maria Hernandez, another family advocate. "Head Start not only supports them if they want to be a teacher, but if they want to learn English, if they want to take computer classes."

Opportunities for leadership
Parent Center Committee (PCC). All parents with children in Head Start belong to the committee, which meets monthly and is run by the elected parent officers. At meetings, parent officers update the other parents about what?’s going on at the school and community. All parents are encouraged to voice their suggestions, concerns, and ideas. Snacks, child care, and help with transportation are always provided.

Frequent educational workshops. Topics?—from health care to child support laws?—are based on a broad survey of interests given to all the parents in the program at the beginning of each year. "From the get-go," says Cynthia Yao, Family Services manager for IHSD, "we?’re asking what the community wants and needs."

Family partnership agreement and educational plan for child. Parents meet with staff to talk about their own goals for involvement and about their child?’s education. "It?’s really up to the parent," says Moran, "How involved they want to be and what they want to pursue."

Funds for training. Head Start earmarks funds for parent training and pays for early childhood education classes for parents who want to become teachers. Parents of former students make up 20 percent of IHSD staff.

Policy Council. Elected parents serve on regional management boards and are involved on many levels of decision-making, including budget and human resources. National conferences gather a few parents from each center to further their education.