Malaya Peterkin and a bunch of other preschoolers were chilling in bright blue chairs around a table one afternoon, totally entranced by teacher Rachel Cepeda reading a book about butterflies. Later on, these kiddos got creative and made some butterfly-themed art pieces.
Malaya, a cool 5-year-old, is part of the Head Start program at the Sharon Neese Early Learning Center in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood. Her mom, Timeisha Seymore, is super confident that Malaya will be all set for kindergarten next year. “She’s not even in kindergarten yet, and she’s already reading,” Seymore boasted. “My 4-year-old son is already doing math. Crazy, right? They’re picking up these skills, and we’re just over the moon about it.”
The children at Head Start also dive into science and learn different languages like Spanish and Mandarin, all thanks to the diverse teacher crew, Seymore pointed out. The program is more than just a place for childcare. It’s an educational wonderland where kids get to play and learn in vibrant classrooms filled with all sorts of fun stuff like books, toys, and games. The kiddos even get to zoom around on tricycles in the playground, play in a massive sandbox, or climb around on a jungle gym with the staff keeping an eye on them during recess. “It’s like a dream come true,” Seymore gushed. “Head Start is just amazing. My family wouldn’t be the same without it.”