Voices of Head Start

Because October is Head Start Awareness Month, Impacting the Classroom is celebrating with a closer look at Head Start, the federal government’s program to support student readiness and child development. Today’s guests are Christa Wesley, a Head Start Director at Cheaha Head Start in Alabama, and Marcia Flores, the Vice President of Chicanos por la Causa in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. 

Listen to the episode to learn what the critical areas for families are that Marcia and Christa see working in Head Start, how each of them reached their current positions, what their different communities look and how Head Start can serve them. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• [00:01:13] What Christa is doing for Head Start in Alabama
• [00:02:05] What Marcia is doing for Head Start in Arizona
• [00:02:56] What brought Christa and Marcia to Head Start
• [00:05:34] Critical areas for children and families
• [00:12:42] What a Head Start program looks like and what roles exist within it
• [00:14:55] Marcia’s Head Start journey toward her current position
• [00:17:30] Christa’s Head Start journey toward her current position
• [00:20:15] What Marcia and Christa wish people knew about Head Start
• [00:23:05] The Head Start mission
• [00:24:40] Successful family components of Head Start
• [00:26:35] How to promote collaborations that support Head Start programs
• [00:33:20] More information about Head Start’s migrant or seasonal programs
• [00:36:30] What Christa’s community looks like
• [00:38:28] What enrollment in Christa’s community is like
• [00:40:40] What Head Start means to Marcia and Christa

Resources

Marnetta Larrimer

Marcia Flores

Christa Wesley