Paulina Escamilla-Vestal

In June 2026, during Head Start WEST’s First 1,000 Days! Early Head Start Conference, we asked attendees to share a sixty second Head Start story.

This is Paulina Escamilla-Vestal from WestEd

“Yes, my name is Paulina Escamilla Vestal. My story is I was a Head Start parent when my daughter was in Head Start. I already had my BA degree. I got hired as a teacher in Head Start program. I was a teacher for seven years in the classroom with preschool children. Then I became a site supervisor, an ed coordinator and a program manager. I worked for Head Start for 16 years.

And my daughter went on into Head Start, and now she is a toddler teacher in the Early Head Start program.

So what changed for me is that I had the opportunity to actually work with children in a Head Start program. So that, for me, was really special. It gave me something to look forward to. I enjoyed it. I love Head Start because it’s a wonderful program for children and families.

So like I shared, I am now a trainer with the program for parent and toddler care for those individuals that are working with children birth to three. And that is why I do the work that I do. I believe that it’s really important that we are supporting children and families. And I really like that Head Start continues to support children and families in the program.

So I’m very happy to be part of the Head Start family. Like I said, my daughter was in Head Start. I have several grandchildren who are in Head Start who are now actually college graduates. So thank you for listening to my story.”