In 1982, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October “National Head Start Awareness Month” to recognize and support the program’s positive impact in providing quality early education and opportunities to America’s low-income children and families.
Head Start has served the El Paso community since 1966, when the borderland city was chosen to pilot the Head Start Program as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.”
Education Service Center Region 19 (ESC19) absorbed the then-struggling El Paso Head Start program, and almost 60 years later, ESC19 Head Start has expanded to serve over 4000 children and families in 30 Head Start and Early Head Start centers across El Paso and Hudspeth counties. The program includes services for pregnant women, teen mothers, children with disabilities, fatherhood initiatives, and a robust Parent Leadership and Development program that empowers Head Start parents and caregivers through professional training, workshops, community partnerships, employment and education opportunities, and more!
From renowned celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal to ESC19 Head Start Director Socorro Rodriguez, the list of successful Head Start alumni continues to grow nationwide as the program continues to provide young children with a “head start” in life.
Become a Head Start parent or partner today and discover why Head Start is the best place for children to begin!