Carl B. Stokes Early Learning Center sits in a quiet alcove in Collinwood on Cleveland’s northeast side, surrounded by towering trees and lush plants. It’s easy to forget you’re no more than 15 minutes from downtown Cleveland, which is exactly why Site Administrator VeElla Smoot-Mays loves it.

“We’re surrounded by nature, and I even feed the deer leftover apples sometimes. They’re always around here, coming back for more,” she says, smiling.

Its beautiful surroundings are not the only thing that makes Carl B. Stokes special.

Mrs. Smoot-Mays, a veteran early learning professional, has been the site administrator at Carl B. Stokes for the past three years. Before that, she was an educator and caregiver for more than 25 years. Those roots keep her in the classrooms daily, helping teachers where she can and spending as much time as possible with the children who roam her halls.

Carl B. Stokes Early Learning Center is one of five Step Forward locations in the city of Cleveland. All locations offer Head Start and Early Head Start services, a federally funded program designed to deliver high-quality early learning experiences to families at or below the federal poverty level. As Head Start centers, all locations also offer wraparound services for families, including free medical and dental screenings for students, early developmental and mental health supports, access to parenting services and classes, distribution of essential child care supplies for home use, and other family wellness support services. With an emphasis on the entire family, Step Forward and other Head Start programs look to support the child at school and the family at home.

Mrs. Smoot-Mays is no stranger to Head Start, as she will proudly tell anyone. She was a Head Start mom herself almost 30 years ago.

“I know how to help the families here because I was there once,” she recalls. “I like the chance to lead families to what we can do for them, give them the initiative to go get it. They trust us.”

The quality education King Kennedy Head Start, the now-closed center her son attended in 2001, laid the foundation for his future as a pediatric surgeon at Mayo Clinic. Research shows that children who attend Head Start programs are 39% more likely to finish college than peers, underscoring the effectiveness of a quality early start in education.

Head Start programming has long been lauded as the gold standard in early childhood education. Beyond graduating from college, Head Start participants are more likely to show strong social-emotional development, graduate high school, and rely less on public assistance. 

At Carl B. Stokes, the focus is on improving students’ circumstances by any means necessary. “If I see a grandma struggling with keeping her grandkids’ laundry clean, I’ll do it here. If someone needs their car fixed, we can do that. We help with heat.” Mrs. Smoot-Mays says. “Even when it was super hot this summer, we gave away air conditioners and fans. And if someone doesn’t have a car or whatever, I will bring it to them. I am here to help.”

When asked what makes Carl B. Stokes Early Learning Center special, Mrs. Smoot-Mays said, “I think it starts with me.”

“They know me, they know my personality, and they know what I stand for. We truly work as a team- I truly follow their lead, and they follow mine. It’s a give and take. Whatever we do, we give our heart. I believe in what we do.”

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Head Start preschool is offered throughout Cleveland and is free for qualifying families. For more information about Carl B. Stokes Early Learning Center, visit stepforwardtoday.org.

For a full list of preschools in the PRE4CLE network, head to pre4cle.org/preschools