Selina Smith is a doting grandmother to ten grandchildren and is raising six of her grandchildren. When her family needs support, Ms. Smith always has the desire to step up and help. She adopted two of her grandchildren because their mother had passed away and their father was incarcerated. She also makes the time to care for her aging mother. Even though her time is often stretched because she's advocating for the health and happiness of many people Ms. Smith says, "I try my hardest to be the best me I can be."
Being part of the OLHSA Head Start program helped Ms. Smith and her grandchildren to stay healthy, happy, and connected to local resources. When asked about her experience with Head Start, Ms. Smith says, "I love the Head Start program, it's a beautiful program. I feel kids should get as much education as they can." She appreciated the teachers, the socialization the children received, and also the fun take home assignments. Her fourteen-year-old granddaughter recently told her how vividly she remembered and enjoyed her Head Start teacher. Being enrolled in the Head Start program also allowed her to be connected to many more of OLHSA's wraparound services. Recently she's been part of the Grandparents raising Grandchildren support group and technology education project “Gigabytes for grand-families.”
Whenever she has the opportunity Ms. Smith always encourages her friends and family to enroll in OLHSA's Head Start program