Helping Children by Helping Families

Since 1965, Federal Head Start Program Has Served Millions of Students

Almeta R. Keys is in charge of the Mazique Parent Child Center, which has a $4.7 million budget and provides services to 280 low-income families.

But her title, executive director, was not the least bit intimidating to Cynthia Martinez-Cardozo when Keys interrupted the 4-year-old as she pushed orange clay into yellow molds.

"Sit down!" Cynthia said, pointing to a pint-size chair across from her.

Keys obliged, digging into the clay and chuckling.

Cynthia is given a little leeway since being selected last month as one of five children nationwide to collectively represent the 25 millionth student served by the federal Head Start early-childhood program. The 43-year-old program was started in 1965 and serves about 1 million children and their families annually. There are about 1,700 children enrolled in Head Start in the District.

The program's goal is to ensure that low-income children are ready to enter school. But at centers such as Mazique, it's not only about classroom training. The center, which has five sites in the District, employs a physician, a nutritionist and licensed social worker. It even brings in a chef to help parents learn to prepare more nutritional meals for their families.

"Poverty still exists, and families are still in crisis," Keys said.

The Mazique Center is named for Edward C. Mazique, a doctor whose family was instrumental in opening the center. It was one of the original 36 parent-child centers established nationwide by President Lyndon B. Johnson's initiative, called the War on Poverty, to assist children from poor families. The rate of childhood poverty in 1965, 20 percent, remains unchanged.

Despite the discouraging statistic, staff members remain committed to the program. Head Start is one of the mainstays at the Mazique Center, which is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center started with 75 families and now serves nearly 300, with programs for children ranging from 6 months until they reach 5. Children get breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack daily. Parents can drop in any time to use the computers.

There are four sites in Northwest and one in Northeast. At the main site, on 13th Street NW, there's a room reserved for infants and another for 1-year-olds.

Cynthia has a rare genetic disorder that caused developmental delays and a hearing loss. She spends part of her day at Mazique and part of it in D.C. public schools receiving speech and hearing services. Like the other children, she is learning colors and numbers and how to play well with others.

On a recent day, she wasn't in the mood for sharing toys and was gently coaxed into changing her behavior. "Are you making good decisions?" a classroom teacher asked. Cynthia pouted. But she also relented and let other children play with the toys.