HCS Head Start Celebrates Head Start Awareness Month, Highlights Generational Impact and Career Opportunities

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — This October, HCS Head Start is celebrating Head Start Awareness Month by recognizing more than six decades of Head Start’s impact on children and families while highlighting the dedicated professionals who continue that mission every day.

Head Start programs provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and family support services designed to give children a strong foundation for success. At HCS Head Start, that mission extends beyond the children enrolled in its classrooms. The organization works alongside entire families, providing resources, education, support, and opportunities that can have an impact for generations.

“Head Start is about so much more than preparing children for kindergarten. It is about strengthening entire families and creating opportunities that can have an impact for generations,” said Nicole Blais, Executive Director of HCS Head Start. “Some of the most powerful examples of that impact are right here on our team. We have employees who experienced Head Start themselves, either as children or parents, and later chose to come back and build their careers here. That full-circle connection speaks volumes about what Head Start can mean in someone’s life.”

For some members of the HCS Head Start team, the organization’s impact has truly come full circle. Former Head Start students and parents have returned years later as employees, dedicating their careers to providing children and families with the same support and opportunities that once made a difference in their own lives.

Kaylene Negron’s story shows the lasting impact of Head Start HCS. As a preschooler, Kaylene attended HCS from 1998–2000, and today, with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and 10 years on the HCS team, she serves as a Family Service Coordinator, helping families like hers get a head start in school and in life.

Lana Thomas-Smith’s  story is another example of the lasting impact of Head Start HCS. After attending the Mason Square Head Start center as a preschooler, she returned to HCS and now serves as a Family Service Coordinator, helping today’s families access the same support that helped shape her own early years. In a special full-circle connection, Lana’s former Head Start teacher is still part of the HCS team today.

As HCS Head Start celebrates these stories and the impact of its programs during Head Start Awareness Month, the organization is also looking toward the future and actively recruiting new employees to join its team.

HCS Head Start offers a variety of career opportunities for individuals who want to make meaningful work part of their professional lives. Employees have access to career-growth opportunities, education reimbursement, professional development, coaching and support, competitive pay, and benefits for eligible positions.

“We are always looking for compassionate, dedicated people who want their work to have a purpose,” said Blais. “When you work at HCS Head Start, you have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families every single day. Whether you are an educator, a family advocate, or working behind the scenes to support our programs, you are part of a team that is helping families build stronger futures.”

Head Start Awareness Month is observed nationally each October as an opportunity to celebrate the program’s history, raise awareness about its comprehensive approach to early childhood development, and recognize the millions of children and families whose lives have been touched by Head Start.

HCS Head Start encourages former students, parents, employees, and community members to celebrate throughout October by sharing their own Head Start stories and learning more about the programs and services available to local families.
Individuals interested in turning their passion for helping children and families into a career can explore current employment opportunities at hcsheadstart.org/employment/. 
 
For more information or questions please contact Meghan Rothschild (413-218-4994 | meghan@chikmedia.us.
 
###
 
About Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield Head Start: HCS HS has been providing high-quality early childhood education services for children and families in cities and towns located in Western Massachusetts since 1965. They are committed to providing low-income children and their families with a source of support for a brighter future. They strive to do so by providing high quality comprehensive child development services to enrolled children and empowering families to achieve stability in their home environment.