HSGD > August 2007 eSpirit Newsletter > Innovative Collaboration Begins at Brookhaven It's not just a new center but also a first-of-its kind in the nation collaboration between a Head Start center and a college. The partnership provides an unprecedented opportunity to offer a family-oriented program encouraging parents to obtain an education while their children build skills which will allow them to be successful in school.   Located on the Brookhaven College campus, 3939 Valley View Lane, Farmer’s Branch, the center will serve 160 disadvantaged preschool children and their families each year.   Many of them will be children of Brookhaven students, while others, if income-eligible, will also be served.   The center is situated along a wooded, winding path for walking and jogging which surrounds the campus.  Classrooms open to two separate playground areas due in part to a grant from the Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation.   The playground floor is soft and provides bounce for little feet and a miniature climbing wall invites preschoolers to scale the heights.    The college will provide extensive support services for parents including mentoring, career development and counseling, tutoring and individual educational plans.  The center will serve as a lab school, offering hands-on training to Brookhaven early childhood education students, increasing the number of early childhood educators needed for local preschool programs.   The Greater Texas Foundation has pledged $25,000 per year for three years for Brookhaven scholarships to parents of Head Start children.   A formal dedication ceremony for the center is planned for Thursday, October 11.     >>>  Return to Cover >>