“When I got the letter that said I was approved for Head Start, I was very unhappy,” she said. “They said give it 30 days.”

Grissinger-Bair can’t say enough about how glad she is that she did give a chance to the federally funded program that has its roots in President Lyndon Johnson’s fight against poverty — his Great Society campaign.

“I love Knightdale Head Start,” said Grissinger-Bair who is now the vice president of the school’s PTA and the state Head Start PTA treasurer. “It has been the greatest experience for me and my child. My son is exceptionally smart. I knew he needed more than three hours a day which is all I could give him. It has really taught him social and emotional growth. On that kindergarten readiness sheet, my child can do it all.”

Last Wednesday, Knightdale Head Start graduated rising kindergarteners from its batch of 136 children. They are now ready for school, said Knightdale Head Start director Shannon Cuttle.

“The central component of Head Start is to be able to help the child and the family to transition to the public school system,” said Cuttle. “We give them the skill sets they need to be better prepared to enter kindergarten. The focus also is that by making sure the family is successful, the child is successful.”

For that, there is Family Services.

Grissinger-Bair credits the program with helping her get health insurance and helping her go back to school.

“I have a pipe dream of maybe becoming a lawyer,” she said. “Just because I’m 31 years old and I’m a single mom doesn’t mean I can’t do all the things I want to do.”

Grissinger-Bair worked nights delivering papers for The News & Observer so that she could be home with her son, Howie. Her mother kept him while she worked.

She recently started baking cakes out of her home and formed a business Cakery ’N Bakery. She gave up her newspaper route when she started making more money with the bakery than from delivering newspapers.

She likes working at home on her own schedule because she can volunteer at the preschool.

“I really just have a heart for these kids and I want to spend time with them and see them grow,” she said.

She’s watched Latino parents learn English as their children did with the help of Family Services.

“You can’t just drop your child off at the front door,” she said. “You have to bring your child to the classroom to encourage parental involvement.”

The preschool held a Family Fun Day recently with a health fair and old fashioned field day activities like egg tosses, sack races, relay races and a cake walk. There also was a visit from the Wendell Fire Department, face painting, food donated from local businesses and skits by the children.

“It’s a chance for the community and Head Start families to be able to share resources and a chance for Head Start families to get to network and get to know the community better,” said Cuttle.

Head Start is now accepting applications for this fall. To qualify, you must meet federal poverty guidelines. For more information, call Cuttle at 266-1240, ext. 202.