Embudo Head Start Cluster Embudo Head Start 8000 Mountain Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 254-8449 Chico & General Bradley Head Start 150 General Bradley NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123 299-3262 Kirtland Head Start 3530 Gibson SE, Albuquerque, NM 87118 255-2085 Mesa Verde Head Start 7900 Marquette NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 232-0086 Highland Head Start 4700 Coal SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108 255-4568

The Embudo Cluster is comprised of five NAEYC accredited centers, serving the Near Heights and the East Gateway sections of the City of Albuquerque. The largest center, Embudo, is located in the uptown area at 8000 Mountain Rd. NE. The cluster serves an area bordered by Yale on the West, Tijeras Canyon on the East, I-40 on the North and Kirtland Air Force Base on the South. It is the most populated area in Albuquerque with a population in excess of 78,450 residents, of whom over 16,500 live in poverty. There are over 7,300 children under five in this area, of which 1,850 live in poverty. The Embudo Center enrolls 88 children and offers half day (morning and afternoon) sessions, part day (8:45 – 2:15), and full day classes. Chico & General Bradley enrolls 54 children in two half day classes and one part day class. Kirtland enrolls 40 children in one full day and one part day class. Mesa Verde enrolls 40 children in one full day and one part day class and Highland enrolls 20 children in one full day class.

Head Start is one of the most successful federal programs for children ever created. The YDI Head Start program provides comprehensive services for children 3 to 5 years old.

Head Start centers provide a nurturing safe environment for preschoolers. Comprehensive services include a multicultural educational program that is tailored to children’s individual needs, fosters their self-esteem, and develops cognitive, language, motor, and social skills; medical and dental screenings and follow-up treatment, along with classroom lessons that emphasize a variety of preventative health practices; nutritious meals and snacks eaten in family style settings; evaluation, diagnosis, and special services, in a nurturing mainstreamed classroom environment for children with special needs; and regular field trips where children can enjoy and explore the world around them.

Parents are welcomed in the classroom and on the bus as involved participants in their children’s growth and development. They serve on the Head Start Policy Council and on Center Committees and have a voice in administrative decisions and programmatic evaluation. YDI Early/Head Start also has a comprehensive social services component. Staff and families develop a partnership agreement that identifies family strengths and goals and they work together to assist family members to achieve their goals.