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Aug 29, 2019
Why Head Start Stories Work
We have 100,000 stories to share. The stories are compelling because they have three elements with universal appeal. First, they are about children. Children have a natural, wide-eyed wonder and curiosity about the world that is infectious. They remind us that what may have become common to us over the years is no less extraordinary. Rainbows, magnets — how is that not magic? — waterfalls, and birds in flight, and a thousand other natural phenomena delight them. Children help us experience those things again for the first time. They change our perspective by their very presence.
Second, our stories have a powerful ethical message. We present our communities with situations that ought not to be. Children in poverty should not be. Families unable to make ends meet ought not to be a fact of our society. A sense of social injustice is triggered by the stories we tell. They touch on core moral principles. Third, our stories reveal the compelling mission of Head Start. You are changing lives — one family at time. It is clear that the mission of ending inter-generational poverty has grown, and is now shared by other stakeholders and organizations. We are not alone in this calling.
As we approach National Head Start Awareness Month in October, we are reigniting the call for your stories. We’ve created a simple template for you to use in answering just a few short questions. Also provided is guidance on securing permission and protecting confidential information.
The stories we gather, collate and distribute today have the potential to inspire legislators, individual donors, philanthropies and partners — tomorrow. But only if we tell the stories first. Share your Head Start story now.
