Head Start marks 60 years of changing lives—helping children build the foundation to excel in school and in life. Here at home, the Department of Education and Public Health came together at the Dededo Sports Complex for a day of fun, support, and celebration.

Giving children a head start to succeed in school and beyond—October marks Head Start Awareness Month, celebrating 60 years of a program that provides education, nutrition, and support services to some of the island’s most vulnerable children. Angelina Lape, director of Head Start Program at GDOE, said, “We’re celebrating 60 years providing services to the island. Through those 60 years, we’ve had over 30,000 children. Our enrollment is 534. This is just an event to recognize our children and families, our staff, and to celebrate together.”

Today, every center came together for the “Biggest Play Time of the Year: Village Play Time” at the Dededo Sports Complex. The festivities kicked-off with a parade, a proclamation signing, and a full day of fun activities.

For many, the celebration carried special meaning, as Head Start has shaped the lives of countless children, families, educators, and leaders like Lape herself.  “Head start, we started as a community action grant. So, 1965 Guam had us in all of the community centers–back then it was commissioner’s offices–so, I attended at the Hagåtña Mayor’s Office—it was the commissioner’s office at the time. My teacher was the commissioner’s wife. Through the years what happened was then Senator Francisco Santos introduced the legislation to put us a part of GDOE," she explained.

“This is our one big celebration. It means a lot to us because more than 50 percent of our staff either attended Head Start or are current or former Head Start parents and grandparents...since we became part of GDOE, our services have expanded, our children are now part of the GDOE system, and I think we’ve done a tremendous job in getting children and families who are coming from potentially disadvantaged families a head start in life. Like I mentioned, I was a Head Start child—that’s my earliest memory of school, Head Start—and here I am today as the program director. So, I tell our children and families that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it, and Head Start is here to help your child or family with whatever you might need.”

Those needs continue to be met through partnerships.  The Department of Public Health also joining in to provide crucial services directly to families. Deputy director Amanda Shelton said, “We have services for immunization from our division of public health, as well as some other services from the play time services, gifts for the kids, getting back to school, lunch, t-shirts that we’re giving out just to get kids excited and prepared especially with immunization.”

“Partnership is so important to us at DPHSS, especially with GDOE, because a huge number of our clients are children. So, this is a really captive audience for us with our Head Start children, and we’re able to provide our services to them, bring the immunizations to them, and just make it easier for the parents so that they don’t have to worry or stress about transportation, and we’re all here together, offering these services, and it’s great to support kids and their families today.”

And as the celebration continues, Lape says more events are planned in schools—including family reading events, workshops, and other activities.

Public Health adds that “Village Play Time” is just one of many initiatives to strengthen early learning and family engagement.