ABOUT US
History
ABC Head Start began in response to public health nurses identifying a significant number of children whose social and academic development was delayed as a result of having limited financial and other resources. The project originated in an effort to both remedy gaps in the children’s learning experiences and in the parents’ parenting skills.

Jan 1985
Initiated as project ABC (Accessing for Better Care), classes were held two half days a week for 10 children aged 3 ½ to 5½. The Minerva foundation provided funding for the family support portion of the program. Aleda Patterson managed and developed the program.
   
1986
Our program now had 30 children and families who attended class two to four times per week. We employed a part time speech language pathologist, a part time teacher, and paid Home Educators whose program became more classroom based and more connected with classes.
   
1987 We opened a second site in the northwest and the first Education Assistants were hired.
   
1991
We became a society, and hired an Executive Director, Deborah Breakenridge. We now had a staff of 14: teachers, assistants, speech language pathologist, social workers, volunteer coordinator and a part time receptionist.
   
1993
We have five sites, with 27 staff. We continued to develop more formal partnerships with the Glenrose (for psycho/educational assessments), Public Health, Child and Adolescent Services Agency (pediatric mental health), and Edmonton Public Libraries through the mid-nineties. Aleda Patterson initiated the Scarecrow Festival, our largest fundraising event.
   
1996
We had 10 sites with 15 classes. We also hired 10 special needs assistants, making a total of 50 staff. We were a planning partner in the development of Early Head Start.
   
1998

Michelle Craig was hired as Executive Director.  We strengthened our operational business and planning processes to support the past and future growth.  We also added one class in Millwoods.
   
1999

We now have 10 sites, with 17 classes, serving 272 children and families.  We revised the wage scale, and reduced staff turnover.
   
2001

We significantly increased class hours from 4 to 5 half day classes per week.
   
2002

With the opening of the Sherwood site, we now have 11 sites with 18 classes, serving 288 children and families.  We added an intake worker from additional funding through Early Childhood Development I.
   
2003

Classes reverted back to 4 half days per week, maintaining the same instructional hours per week.
   
2005

Kathy Lenihan was hired as Executive Director.  With the addition of a new Francophone Head Start program at Gabrielle-Roy we are now serving 304 children and families across 12 sites with 19 classes.
   
2007 Expansion happened yet again.  We are now working with 336 children and families across 12 sites in Edmonton with 21 classes being offered 4 days out of 5.
   
2008 September 2008 will see an expansion of 32 children and families in Millwoods bringing to 368 the total number of children and families being served by our agency.