Mariposa Head Start Cluster La Mariposa Head Start 801 Mountain Rd., NW 87102 244-3331 Job Corps Head Start 1500 Indian School Rd., NW 87104 346-2726

The Mariposa Cluster is comprised of two NAEYC accredited centers, serving the greater part of the North Valley. The largest center, La Mariposa, is located on the edge of Martineztown, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Albuquerque. The cluster serves an area bordered by Rio Grande Blvd. on the West, San Mateo on the East, Central on the South, and Alameda on the North. There are over 3,700 children under five years old in the area, of whom over 1,400 live in poverty. The La Mariposa Center enrolls 168 Head Start children and offers half day, part day, and full day classes. The Center also offers Early Head Start services to 24 infants/toddlers and to eight pregnant Moms in a home-based program. The Job Corps Center enrolls 20 Head Start children in a full day class and 32 infants/toddlers in their Early Head Start program.

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.