In the corners of Southridge and Merle Hay Malls and in classrooms in counties miles away from Drake University’s campus, Drake’s logo hangs on windows and doorways. Beyond those logos lies Drake Head Start, Drake’s early childcare program for low-income central Iowa children.

How Drake Head Start got its start

In 1965, following President Lyndon B Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” a nationwide series of early childcare programs known as Head Start began as a way to make education more accessible among the public, focusing on pre-schooling education for children from birth to age five.

Ryan Wise, dean of the School of Education, serves as Executive Director of Drake Head Start, where he aims to support their administrative staff.

“The heart of the focus there is really on serving kids and families that come from low-income backgrounds,” Wise said. “And so while it serves broader than just that population, the spirit of Head Start is to really expand access to high-quality early childhood learning.”

Drake’s Head Start program began in the first year of Head Start. The program was originally housed in the previous School of Education building on University Avenue. Following the construction of Collier-Scripps Hall, the program’s staff has spread out across various locations throughout central Iowa. Through Head Start’s partnership with Drake, grants go to the University, and the Head Start employees in the Central Iowa program receive support and employee benefits.

What Drake Head Start does 

Drake Head Start currently serves 935 students across the six counties. The program is free of cost for accepted applicants. Wise said he hears direct feedback from parents at yearly policy council meetings.

“They’re just so positive about it. Like the growth that they see in their kids through their involvement in our Head Start programs is just really remarkable,” Wise said. “The parents often in their feedback talk about how wonderful their kids’ teachers and the teacher assistants that we have in the classroom [are].”

Drake Head Start has two categories for childcare — early Head Start for children ages zero to three and Head Start for children ages three to four. The program focuses on foundations of early childhood development, as children learn gross motor skills and foundations of math and literacy.

Drake Head Start also has home-based programs where staff visit the home once a week.

“In that program, we primarily see families that don’t have transportation,” Lisa Proctor, director of Drake University Head Start, said. “We have a large percentage of families in our home-based program that are refugee or immigrant, non-English speaking. So it’s just kind of whatever needs that families needs, whatever they’re looking for.”

Drake Head Start provides food during the school day for lunch. One of their most recent grants was for garden pods in the classrooms’ outdoor spaces where the students grow fresh food. The program also forged a partnership with local farms to establish Friday food backpacks for the students to take home to their families.

Proctor said that, ultimately, these programs aim to ensure the lowest cost for Head Start students.

“The goal of the whole Head Start program is that all kiddos are entering Kindergarten kind of [on] an equal playing field, and so those that may not have the same access or resources aren’t starting at a disadvantage,” Proctor said.

Head Start’s Iowa locations

Proctor has held various positions with the program over the last 26 years. In her current job, she ensures that the program complies with federal standards for Head Start programming and funding.

When searching for new locations, Proctor performs a community assessment, which she updates yearly.

“We are a needs-based program,” Proctor said. “We are intended to serve low-income, high-need children and families, and so our community assessment is intended to assess the community and where those needs are or where the greatest needs are and ideally then we put our programs in those neighborhoods, those communities.”

From there, Proctor seeks a space to house the program. Currently, Drake Head Start receives funding to serve six counties: Polk, Boone, Story (Ames only), Jasper, Marion and Warren. Drake’s Head Start programs are housed in a wide variety of places, including faith-based locations, schools and malls, with their largest location at Southridge Mall.

Each of these locations includes a playground, which allows students to go outside and release their energy while engaging with nature and each other.

Des Moines Public Schools has a unique relationship with Drake Head Start. Through a subcontract, Drake Head Start provides DMPS money to organize programming for its 420 students.

Challenges and future plans

Proctor said that it has been a challenge not having the entire administrative staff co-located.

While several Drake students work at Drake Head Start, either as student employees, volunteers or interns, Proctor believes that being back on campus would increase Drake student involvement.

“We would love to connect with other departments or campus organizations or things like that,” Proctor said. “We would welcome students, whether it’s tied to your education and to build your resume or you just like kids and want to be around or help or support.”

Ideally, Proctor said, an on-campus location would not only house administrative staff but also a classroom lab. Proctor is planning an on-campus block party for April, which she hopes will engage the campus community.

Beyond being on Drake’s campus, the program’s other current goals are to obtain transportation to school and pre- and post-school care that is more convenient for the families.

“Head Start fits so squarely in Drake’s inspiration statement around transforming lives and strengthening communities,” Wise said. “I hope that it continues like it has for a half-century to be additive to this community in providing kids and families that first positive experience in their education journey.”