It was l985, and Lee Brown was struggling. She was unemployed, living on welfare with three small children, Ian, 7, Alex 4 and Johnathan 2. And, she had an abusive husband.

She had finally summoned up the courage to leave him and had lived in several shelters for battered women. But he continued to find them, stalking her and “stealing” the children. So, she moved to Kansas to protect the children--and herself. It was there, in the parking lot of their low-income apartment complex that she first heard about Head Start.

“I was the Mom outside watching kids, because the only place to play was in the parking lot,” Lee explained. “A Head Start bus pulled up, and, some of the other mothers said, ‘Oh you should get your kids in Head Start.’ So, I contacted them, and got Alex enrolled.”

At the time Lee had very little family support, so Head Start played a pivotal role in turning her life around.

"They gave me support and advice, and they taught me how to raise kids. I was 19 when my first child was born, and I never had any role models."