Until recently, Joshua Villegas had never heard of SuperMENtors, a program within the Head Start Significant Male Initiative to bridge male role models in the classroom with young students – specifically through literacy.
An avid reader, Villegas credits his mother and many of his elementary school teachers for instilling that love at a young age. He’s also worked as a paraprofessional and knows the importance of putting books in the hands of students.
So, when the opportunity presented itself this school year to get back to pouring into young students – especially those in his La Porte community – Villegas didn’t hesitate.
“It’s great and something needed to build our communities,” said Villegas, adding he’s even contemplating getting back into education. “Who knows – maybe I’ll be a teacher one day. It was the most fulfilling job I ever had. Working with the kids and seeing their energy is amazing.”
Villegas is among eight new SuperMENtors for 2026-2027, all but two being community volunteers or business partners. The program features 40 mentors with current openings at Baytown, Compton, Humble, JD Walker and Sheffield.
SuperMENtors began in 2002, a program done with intentionality to bring positive male role models into the classrooms with students – in this case across Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) 12 Head Start centers.
It’s not that fathers aren’t present in dropping off and picking up their young children, or even actively volunteering or participating in Head Start’s policy council.
But for most young learners in Head Start centers across communities in north and east Harris County, women are the more present adult figures they’ll see throughout the day.
According to a 2025 USAFacts.org study, only 22.4% of pre-K-12 teachers were men. That figure drops to 19.9% for elementary and middle school and just 2.5% for preschool and kindergarten.
U.S. Census Bureau data as recent as 2024 shows more than 35% of households with children in Harris County are calculated as single-parent household families. Data from 2020 also shows an overwhelming majority of non-married family households are led by a female.
That’s what makes SuperMENtors so unique. The program connects children as young as three years old to male figures who connect with them on a regular basis and invest in their educational growth at this early stage before moving on to kindergarten.
It also helps young children become more comfortable around adults.
“They’re less fearful when they see men and not as nervous when the men come in,” La Porte Manager Traci Houston said.
In addition to HCDE leadership and staff, mentors represent community partners such as Harris County Public Health, Covestro LLC, OnPoint Utility Designs and Construction, Prosperity Bank and Harris County Office of the County Engineer.
They commit to monthly visits at their respective campuses, beginning in October through April. Students receive a copy of the books read each month to build their personal home libraries.
Many join the program after hearing someone else’s experience.
That was the case with Villegas after speaking with Karl Eddy, now in his third year reading at La Porte Head Start. The two work together at a nearby business and Eddy had nothing but positives to share from his experience.
“When the opportunity arose. I jumped on it, and I was completely addicted to the kids,” Eddy said. “They seemed so receptive to the books, to the reading and to the learning. I told him how amazed I was – how during the course of the school year, you could see from the first month to the last month the growth in the kids.”
After just one visit, Villegas has the same excitement. He’s looking forward to sharing his love for reading – a feeling planted years ago by his mother and teachers.
“If I wasn’t exposed early maybe I wouldn’t be as interested in reading or reading different kinds of books,” he said. “But if it peaks their interests, you can let them know that a book can open up a world to you and teach you things you never knew.
“That’s something that helps grow the community and keeps people going. I didn’t know any of these people before today, but now I know they’re doing wonderful work and it’s great to be a part of it.”