To the Head Start community,

I am writing to all of you to introduce myself as the director of the Office of Head Start (OHS). I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role, as I have had the privilege to serve on the local, state, and now federal level of the Head Start program. I still remember my first Head Start job as a social services coordinator, and the excitement I had working with our team of family advocates to partner with families on goal-setting to support their ambitions for stability and self-sufficiency. I believe today, as I did then, that the Head Start approach is the right one for supporting our nation’s most vulnerable children and families.

In my first week as OHS director, and in true Head Start fashion, the federal team has seized upon the opportunity to leverage the expertise garnered from my years of program experience in the field. I also had the honor of visiting two Head Start grant recipients in New Mexico. Our commitment to lead with empathy remains firmly intact, drawing also from the important perspectives of the tribal, regional, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start networks. It is my endeavor to partner with you to ensure the children and families we serve are safe and secure while receiving the highest quality services they deserve from a world-class Head Start workforce.

I know the potential that Head Start programs have for disrupting the poverty cycle. The number of children and families that Head Start programs have supported in breaking that cycle is something you all should be proud of. I am incredibly excited to lead the office in this partnership with our programs and children and families!

Together, we will leave a lasting impact on children, families, and the communities they make up.

With gratitude and in partnership,

/ Khari M. Garvin /

Khari M. Garvin
Director
Office of Head Start

Last Updated: November 15, 2024