By Madonna Fajardo Kemp
When
I became a mother ten years ago, I decided to give up my career in
property management and focus on my family. Four years later, after the
birth of my second child, I became increasingly ill, and my doctors
diagnosed me with multiple sclerosis. Shortly after that, my husband
left, and I became a single mother with two small children, gravely ill
and trying to work full time. The emotional and physical stress made me
even sicker, and my doctors put me on medical leave.
This
story could easily have ended poorly, without much hope of a better and
brighter future for me or my children. But God, family, friends – and
Head Start – have made my future (and my children’s future) look as
bright now as it has ever been. After my family moved me back home,
friends convinced me I should be teaching. With help from the
community, I found the financial help I needed to return to school and
become a teacher. My relief was so great that my health started
improving, and I soon became strong enough to learn to manage my
condition. However, the remaining piece of the puzzle still plagued me.
Who would watch my little Emily while I was going to school?
Quite
frankly, when a friend suggested Head Start, I was very skeptical.
However, when I visited the classroom, I was more than pleased with how
clean and neat it was – and how child-friendly! All the teachers and
the family worker checked with me often to make sure I had everything I
needed to be a successful mother and student. Clearly they cared about
Emily, but they also cared for our entire family.
Because
of Head Start I am able to once again see the light at the end of the
tunnel – and it’s not the headlight of an on-coming train! Not only did
Head Start give Emily a wonderful pre-school experience, they also
asked me to head up their Policy Council that oversees that same
program for nearly 400 children spread among 24 classrooms in five
Tennessee counties. The experience has made me feel – once again – that
I’m valuable and worthy, both as a mother and as a productive citizen.
Now
our whole family is looking forward to the future. I’ll start as a
senior this fall at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, after
making the Dean’s List with a straight-A average last spring. Emily has
outgrown Head Start, but starts Kindergarten this fall with great
prospects: the school psychologist has already identified her as a
student with “superior” intelligence. But more important than that are
the deep connections she made with her teachers and others at Head
Start: Miss Barbara, Miss Stacey, and Miss Tobi. The loving staff at
Head Start will always be a part of our family, and we are living proof
that success (or a return to success) is easier with a good Head Start.