I believe that programs such as Head Start gave my family and me the foundation to succeed in school.
– Irma Morales, former Head Start student, Compton, CA
I attended Head Start from June 26, 1967 to Aug. 11, 1967 in the Willowbrook School District—the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County (Compton, CA is the closest city). I still have the certificate that I was given. It has the stamped signature of Lady Bird Johnson.
I come from a family of 10 children and I am the youngest. We moved to the Willowbrook/Compton area in 1965. I believe that programs such as Head Start gave my family and me the foundation to succeed in school. Out of the 10 of us, six have bachelor degrees, three have master's degrees, and three are military veterans. All my family are avid readers and that is why one of us was destined to become a librarian. I have a sister who is a retired kindergarten teacher and all of my family have held jobs that give back to the community. I currently am a supervisor and librarian in a public library. I support early learning and literacy practices and promote these important ideas in the library every day. In 2008, I was able to go to Washington, DC for the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Program Excellence Honors for working with our local Head Start program, Orange Children and Parents Together (OCPT) to "Link Up for Literacy" project.