Center is enrolling for the 2026-2027 academic year
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Graham County Supervisor Paul David joined classes at the Sierra Bonita Head Start in Safford on Monday to help jump-start the students’ love for books by reading a story about an unlikely bear. David joined the class as part of the “Love of Reading” month.
David read “The Bear Who Came to Stay” to the children and passed around a couple of stuffed bears for them to check out during the book.
Head Start is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive services to low-income children ages 3-5 and their families. It aims to improve school readiness, supporting children with disabilities, in foster care, or experiencing homelessness. In Graham County, Head Start serves 97 families from Pima and Safford. The Sierra Bonita Head Start is part of Child-Parent Centers Inc., a nonprofit agency that operates Head Start services in Southeastern Arizona.
Head Start Teacher Janie Aguilar said she was one of the first children to go through the Head Start program at the center on 15th Street, which opened the door for the rest of her education and her family’s as well.
“By God’s grace, I got to get to school, get my bachelor’s degree, and I came back to Head Start, and I’ve been doing it for a lot of years,” Aguilar said.
Supervisor David thanked Aguilar for her work and said the difference she and the Head Start program make in families was “generational.”
“You are helping to contribute to a much better next generation of kids and the current generation,” David said.
In addition to its basic operational focus, the Sierra Bonita Head Start also includes language programs that prioritize teaching how to count in Spanish and Mandarin.
The center is actively recording enrollments for the 2026-2027 academic year.
· Eligibility Criterion: Children must turn 3 years old by Aug. 31, 2026.
· Intake Mechanism: Prospective families are directed to call a central phone number (928-428-0455).
· Application Method: School staff directly assist families in completing the application on-site, ensuring all necessary information is captured.
“We just are so grateful for Love a Reading Month,” Aguilar said. “We appreciate it. That’s our goal: school readiness. To be sure that these children are ready for school, and we appreciate this investment.”
