Four-year-old Kenzie Johnson is following family tradition, starting her educational journey off on the best foot by being a student at SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS). 

She’s been in the program for a year and already has further developed her motor and social skills, said Kenzie’s dad, LaDarrian Johnson, who is a member of the HS/EHS Policy Council. 

“For instance, Kenzie now zips up her coat by herself,” said Johnson. “She can spell her name without any help and can also recognize letters and numbers better.” 

Kenzie is a student in teaching assistant Rosie Riley's classroom at Lovejoy Head Start Center. 

Kenzie followed her 10-year-old brother, Jai, in entering the HS/EHS program, dad added. Jai was also three years old when the Johnsons enrolled him. 

“There are multiple reasons why we as a family support Head Start,” continued Johnson. “My wife, Micah, and I are products of Head Start. Micah and I went through the same program at the Lovejoy Head Start Center. Also, when I was in Head Start, my mother was very active in Head Start.” 

“We know that the best start is a Head Start,” he said. “Kenzie really loves Head Start.” 

Among other things, responsibilities of the EHS/HS Policy Council include serving as a link to Parent Center Committees, grantee agency governing bodies, public/private organizations, and the communities they serve. 

The SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Program serves more than 860 families and children birth through age five, including children with special needs, throughout St. Clair County. The program also provides services to expectant mothers. The program is housed in 12 early childhood centers, seven managed directly by SIUE staff and five collaborations. The program includes a rigorous school readiness program and provides comprehensive services, such as health/ dental screenings and family engagement and support activities.  

Most students know and love the music. Some are familiar with the moves, but it takes an experienced dance coach to teach them the masterfully choreographed numbers. 

McKinley Smith, hip-hop dance instructor for the SIUE East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts, enjoys harnessing spirited hearts and practicing eager feet to create rhythmic magic displayed on stage for appreciative audiences. 

“I love dance, and I love sharing it with my students,” said Smith, who has been teaching for five years and is an alumnus of the Performing Arts program. “It’s great to watch the students grow and become better dancers, all while having a good time.” 

While hip-hop dance is a favorite of many students, Smith works his classes hard to produce polished performances.  

“Students learn various dance styles and techniques,” he added. “Also, not only do students dance, but they also express themselves through acting. They get to come to a place where they can be themselves and be comfortable.” 

The SIUE East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts has a long, rich history. The legendary dancer, anthropologist, and social activist Katherine Dunham founded the Center for Performing Arts at the SIUE East St. Louis Center in 1964. At its peak in the 1990s, the East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts provided year-round instruction to more than 1,000 youth and became a training ground for professional artists of all disciplines. For decades, the East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts provided performing arts classes to students and community members to develop local talent and to cultivate a love of the arts. Classes often culminated in musical and theatrical productions.

Dressed in costumes and attire that "aged" them expeditiously, students from the SIUE Belleville Head Start Center celebrated the holiday, 100 Days of School.

The preschoolers dressed up as if they were 100 years old and enjoyed a day of fun and festivities, according to Lisa Tate, Head Start/Early Head Start assistant program director/center operations.

The holiday was started in 1979 in Livermore, Calif., by teacher Lynn Taylor and is now a significant part of classroom culture and Pinterest board queries across the globe, noted Tate. Taylor celebrated the 100th day of school in her classroom to help children understand the concrete lesson of the number 100.

Photo: top left -Denarius Bell, bottom left -DeKota Ingram and bottom right -Jacoby Johnson. 

TRIO Upward Bound Program (UB):

• Friday-Saturday, March 3-4
  UB juniors and seniors will travel to Normal/Bloomington for Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University college visits.

• Saturday, March 4
  2-5 p.m.
  UB students will attend the play, "To Kill a Mockingbird," at the Fabulous Fox Theater

• Monday-Wednesday, March 27-29
  UB young men will travel to Greenville, S.C. for the Men of Color Summit

• Sunday-Friday, April 2-7
  UB students will travel to New Orleans for our Spring Break College Tour

The Learning Resource Center (LRC):

• All February - "East St. Louis Through Your Eyes" photo contest showcasing your love and pride for the City of East St. Louis. Snap a picture of what East St. Louis represents to you and submit it for a chance to win an LRC goodie bag.  Submit photos to siue.esl.library@siue.edu.

• Each Wednesday in February - the LRC will have a special Black History-themed Spanish Bilingual Story Time featured on Facebook. 

• Each Friday in February - the LRC will share a Storycorp story on Facebook that celebrates Black stories.

• Friday, Feb. 24, 12:30-1:30 p.m. - February Book Club featuring The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris.  Participants can join in person or via Zoom.

• Each Tuesday in March, 2:30-4:30 p.m - the LRC celebrates Women's History Month - Special Edition Movie Screening showcasing women who challenge stereotypes (in person only).

• Each Wednesday in March -  the LRC will have a special edition of Bilingual Story Time, featuring women authors (on Facebook page).

• Every Friday in March - the LRC will celebrate Women’s History and its theme for 2023, “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories,” with weekly posts recognizing women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling, including print, radio, stage, screen and more. The theme honors women who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art, pursuing truth, and reflecting the human condition decade after decade. An episode from PBS American Masters will go up every Friday, featuring women storytellers that include authors, songwriters, scholars, playwrights and  performers (on Facebook page).

• Thursday March 9, 1-2 p.m. - Let's Create - String Art (in person only)

• Wednesday, March 22, 11 a.m.-noon - Special Guest Author, Ora Lockett , (in person or via Zoom)

• Thursdays, March 23 and March 30, 11 a.m. - ESL Black Her-Storical Celebration with the theme, “The Spirit of Women” (in person or via Zoom)

• Friday, March 31, 12:30-1:30 p.m. - Women's History Month Book Club, Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis (in person or via Zoom)

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