HCDE’s Head Start division opened the doors to its newest facility on Feb. 12, welcoming its youngest learners to the Barrett Station Early Head Start. This achievement is the culmination of nearly two years of effort.

Positioned next to the Barrett Station Head Start facility behind the Riley Chambers Community Center, the new building houses four pre-manufactured classrooms to accommodate 32 students from ages 12 months to 36 months. HCDE partnered with Harris County Precinct 2 for the expansion, filling a gap in the Crosby community for infant and toddler care.

“We have been waiting for this day for two years,” Barrett Station Head Start Director Norma Starr said. “So, we’re just happy that the day finally came, and we were able to provide the services that parents in our community really need.”

Added Venetia Peacock, Head Start senior director: “It feels wonderful because it’s a goal come to fruition to be able to provide high-quality service in a wonderful facility built for infant and toddler care. It feels like an accomplishment and the beginning of a lot of great things.”

The 32-student capacity was nearly full Monday morning, with facility staff working with families to fill the remaining slots. Options were limited before, as families would have to weigh private daycare options or HCDE-partner childcare locations. In many cases, slots are limited if even available.

“There’s always a long waiting list,” Starr said. “We actually got some of those children. Those parents said, ‘My child has been on a waitlist for so long.’ This was an opportunity to bring their child here.”

Peacock joined facility staff on Monday, working with families to gain confidence in leaving their students in the new classroom setting. Each of the four classrooms features an observation window for families to observe their children interacting with others.

Staff engaged students in activities ranging from working with blocks and animal figures to playing with Play-Doh. To help in learning and building vocabulary, objects in classrooms were labeled while music played in the background in the infant room.

“It all starts with the conversation about brain development and a child’s brain growing at the highest level it will grow between the ages of infancy and five years old,” Peacock said. “Every day, thousands and thousands of synapses are connecting and creating pathways to learning that they’ll build on for the rest of their lives. So, it’s very important to get them into a learning environment where they can be exposed to different things, increase their language and words and collaborate with other children.

“Their parents are their first teachers and we honor that, so we partner with parents to give them the best possible experience we can and the best possible start to life.”

For Starr and her staff, the Barrett Station Early Head Start is an opportunity to support families and young learners who waited patiently for the facility. There was virtual instruction during the project’s construction, but the smiling faces made the wait worth it at HCDE’s fifth Early Head Start facility.

The opening supports the entire family, Starr said, adding parents and other family members who couldn’t work and possibly pursue education opportunities themselves are now given the chance with their young learners in a structured classroom environment during the day.

“This grows our family,” Starr said. “I have a couple of parents who were waiting for their child to enroll in person so they could get enrolled in an education course as well. The Head Start and Early Head Start programs help the entire family, not just the children enrolled.”