Heights Head Start Cluster Heights Head Start 2520 Virginia NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 291-9394 Menaul Head Start 9924 Menaul NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112 332-1816 Alameda Head Start 9800 4th St. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114 792-1284

The Heights Cluster is comprised of three NAEYC accredited centers, serving the Mid-Heights and Foot Hills parts of Albuquerque, with one center, Alameda, also serving the far North Valley. The largest center, Heights, is located in the Northeast Heights area at 2520 Virginia NE. The cluster serves an area bordered by I-25 on the West, the Sandia Mountains on the East, Tramway Blvd. on the North, and I-40 on the South. It is the second most populated area in Albuquerque with a population of over 90,000 residents. Ten percent of the population lives in poverty and over 25% or 2,350 of the children under five in the area live in poverty. The Heights Center enrolls 108 children in four half day (morning and afternoon) sessions and two full day classes. The Menaul Center enrolls 60 children in one part day and two full day classes. The Alameda Center enrolls 54 children in one full day class and two half day sessions.

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.