Head Start Bridging Ceremonies Complete

posted 5/31/18 -- Young men shifted in their shirts and ties. Young ladies twirled in their prettiest dresses. Parents and grandparents wore their pride on their sleeves and teachers blinked back the tears in their eyes.

That was the scene across Lorain County as 925 students marked the end of the year in Head Start. A total of 513 are completing their Head Start careers fully prepared for their next adventure in Kindergarten.

LCCAA Head Start Wellington parents Kathy Byrnes and Brandon Mann have been more than pleased with the services and education their child, Jaxon, has received. At the beginning of the year, he was non-verbal.

“We were worried that he may be autistic or something, but the extra one on one time with teachers really helped,” Brandon said.

Kathy gives a lot of credit to not just the LCCAA Head Start teachers but the support staff as well.

“They make sure every child grows, every age, every personality, we haven’t seen anything that was not above and beyond,” she said.

Each Bridging Ceremony began with teachers saying a few words and talking about how drastically the children have grown over the school year, both emotionally and educationally.

As teachers read off names, parents took turns cheering, laughing and smiling. Many would race to the front of the room to capture pictures of the graduates as they received their certificates.

LCCAA Head Start Hopkins Locke mother Tyisha Cooke was “overwhelmed” and proud because her child “had their horizons brightened.” This sentiment was echoed numerous times throughout the Bridging ceremonies, demonstrating that Head Start Works.

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