Jun 20, 2022
Launched as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 War on Poverty, Head Start provides low-income children, from 3 months to 5 years old, with the educational and emotional preparation required to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. This includes the children of farmworkers who face significant hurdles to attending school at all. Head Start centers serve 14,000 migrant and seasonal children in 24 states, educating the children of farmworkers who travel from state to state to cultivate the crops that grace our tables. In this episode of Power Station, we speak to Alma Hernandez and Gisela Gaspar, children of farmworkers who have graduated from Head Start to college and now, internships with the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association. Children in agriculture are the least protected compared to other sectors and Alma and Gisela have first-hand experience with exposure to pesticides, worsening conditions due to climate change and low wages for grueling and skilled work. They are an inspiration to their siblings, an advocate for the Head Start teachers who helped them launch and a powerful voice for their parents and communities here, on Capitol Hill and everywhere.