By Andy Furman
NKyTribune staff writer
Head Start works. And it’s real. Teresa Back knows it. She’s lived it.
Head Start is an comprehensive early childhood education program established in 1965 to provide services to preschool children of low-income families. The program is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Back is a retired Head Start teacher from KCEOC — Kentucky Community Action Partnership – a non-profit organization in southeastern Kentucky founded in 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty.
Their mission – to fight poverty, improve local communities, and empower low-income individuals to achieve self-sufficiency.
KCEOC operates Head Start and Early Head Start programs for young children.
“I have seen many lives changed due to caring Head Start staff,” she told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “My life has changed.”
Back and her husband married late in life – in their forties. “We decided that we were going to foster to adopt,” the Trosper, Ky. resident said.
They took it seriously – try fostering eighty-nine children and adopting three. In fact, their youngest adopted boy – Michael Back, Jr. — was three days old when they got him out of NICU – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a specialized hospital department that provides round-the-clock medical care and monitoring for newborn babies who are premature, have low birth weight, or face critical illnesses and birth complications. Michael was a drug baby, born on five major drugs according to Back – full-blown COVID and homeless.
Michael’s chances of survival were not likely. The chances of meeting his milestones definitely were not likely.
“We brought him home on the 31 st of January,” Back said – and early Head Start was in their home to start intervention.
Back knew, as a teacher, the earlier the intervention, the better the chances her son would have for survival.
“On the seventh day of his life, Michael was a student of Early Home base Head Start,” she recalled. “I personally had never dealt with infants and knew little about what to expect.”
Back says they had a wonderful teacher – she came and talked and played with
Michael.
“She encouraged us to talk with him and do tummy time. She helped us navigate through the withdrawal of the drugs. She would sit and would hold him as he seizure from the withdrawals,” Back said. “She knew when my husband and I needed to breathe and take a moment. There is nothing like sitting and watching an infant seizure from the drugs in its body.”
Back said Michael didn’t have many seizures – yet it was hard to process.
Michael’s teacher brought the Backs information on how to navigate through these seizures. The Head Start teacher stayed with the Backs for about a year, and then Teresa says a new homeless instructor — very passionate about her job and Michael — entered the picture.
At three years of age, Michael entered the Head Start classroom. He already reached and exceeded all milestones.
Back says he speaks two languages – English and Spanish – both well. The Backs do not speak Spanish. He also knows sign language.
At four years – his present age — Back says young MJ reached all milestones and excelled in a lot of ways, “Beyond a typical four-year-old,” she said.
In fact, Head Start has encouraged Michael Back, Sr. – Teresa’s husband – to be actively involved encouraging father involvement.
“He won Father of the Year this year,” Teresa said. “MJ is a little socially backwards, but other than that, her is doing great.”
Teresa Back adnmits she didn’t go to Head Start as a child but certainly believes strongly in what they do. “I worked for Head Start until I retired,” she said, “I have seen many lives change.
“Head Start doesn’t only teach the child but the family as a whole.”
Back remembers a story from her time in Head Start. She says she worked with a disabled dad, and the mom worked. “He was always the one at home,” she remembers. “On the day I went out to do the initial enrollment packet, I could tell the dad couldn’t read or write beyond his name. I also knew he was ashamed of it.
“I never said a word. Week after week, I went out to that home, we worked on colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. I encouraged dad to work with his children on what was done each day.”
Every week, she says, they went over the preceding week’s lesson and started a new cooler, shape, number, and letter. He has three children, and Back stayed in that home five years.
“One day,” Back said, “about the second year, “he said to me, ‘Ms. Teresa, do you know that I am dumb and couldn’t read or write anything but my name,?’ That is the reason I am getting my disability. I am dumb.”
Back says she remembers smiling at him and replying: “You couldn’t read or write anything, but your name,?” He said: “yea, I couldn’t.” Back answered with: “What about now,?” The dad smiled, she said.
By the fifth year, the dad received his GED. “He wanted to prove to his family that he wasn’t dumb.”
Personally, Teresa Back says Head Start is important.
“Sometimes it is the only hot meal a child may get is at Head Start. They are safe and loved. Head Start,” she says, “cares about the entire family.”
Since 1965, thousands of three and four-year-old children and their families have received services through Head Start. Northern Kentucky Community Action’s Head Start program has six locations currently located in Campbell, Kenton, Boone, and Pendleton Counties.
Head Start Children and their families can count on these services:
• Individual teaching and educational opportunities
• Speech, language, and hearing screening
• Health care promotion
• Social services
• Mental health services
• Services for children with special needs
• Vision/Dental screening
• Parent involvement opportunities
• Leadership development and training opportunities
• Kindergarten readiness
• Nutritious snacks and meals.
The four major components of the Head Start Program:
• Education
• Portent Involvement
• Social Services