LAGUNA BEACH : Head Start Program Doubles Its Class Size

Ask Tobi Gilmour about milestones in the first year of Laguna Beach’s Head Start preschool program and she immediately recalls a 4-year-old girl missing a left forearm who wore long sleeves every day, whatever the weather.

“When it was hand-washing time, she washed her one hand only,” said Gilmour, director of the local program that aims to prepare children for kindergarten.

“After four months in the program, one day we noticed she pushed her sleeve up and washed her other arm. It was a really a heartwarming experience for the teachers. We felt that was a really big moment for her with her self-esteem,” Gilmour said.

Such victories are key to the Laguna Beach Unified School District’s Head Start program, which opened with 17 youngsters last year in a borrowed classroom at Top of the World Elementary School. The federally funded program will begin its second season next month in a new portable building at El Morro Elementary School with twice the number of students.

Gilmour said the children’s parents, many of whom work in Laguna Beach hotels and restaurants, appreciate and participate in the program. They get involved in all phases of planning, and last year, many attended parenting classes offered by the school district psychologist.

“They’re very happy to have their children in our program,” she said. “We only had one (child) drop out last year.”

Head Start’s purpose is to introduce children to the larger world, to build self-reliance and self-esteem and to prepare them for kindergarten when they begin school the next year. About half the students in the Laguna Beach program do not speak English.

The classroom is outfitted with blocks, puzzles, books, music and even a pet guinea pig named “Stormy.” Last year’s field trips included visits to Knott’s Berry Farm, Friends of the Sea Lion Marine Mammal Center, a local park and the beach.

The program also provides medical checkups for the children, and their families can use the school district’s social and counseling services.

“We can usually find a way to help a family with a resource or a community service,” Gilmour said.