Director: Gayle Headen
Board Chair: Lucretia Billups

Rev. Vernon N. Dobson, Pastor Emeritus of the Union Baptist church, has a fond affection for children’s spiritual and mental growth. Being a father of eight, he understood the need for quality care for the disadvantaged because of their economic circumstances. In 1965, when Head Start was initiated he was asked by Parren Mitchell, chairman of Urban City Programs, to write a proposal for Union Baptist Head Start (UBHS). Two years later, in 1968, Union Baptist Church was granted its first summer Head Start Program. For nearly forty years it has remained a vibrate center for pre-school children and has served thousands of children and their families.

Head Start is a federally funded program serving three and four year old children whose parents are below or at the edibility guidelines. UBHS has been rated as one of the finest Head Start Centers in the country. Parents have three options from which to choose; a Full day—7:30am - to 5:30pm, morning part day—8:00 to 11:30am, and afternoon part day 12:30 to 4:00pm. There is a waiting list of children to enter the program. Children receive ¾ of their daily meals. Teachers are certified in early childhood education, CPR, and First Aid.

According to the Johns Hopkins statistics in literacy, the children have done well in letter recognition, vocabulary, book reading and phonetic awareness.

Parents, because of the Head Start program, have been able to go to college, develop positive parenting skills and have been recognized by the Mayor of Baltimore City, and the Governor of Maryland State, for their outstanding performance in the Positive Parenting Classes.

The Governing Boards of the UBHS consist of the Child Care Board and the Policy Committee. The Child Care Board is made up of professional leaders of the church appointed by the Minister, Rev. Vernon N. Dobson. The Policy Committee is made up of 51% parents and 49% community representatives.

The highlight of the program is its beautiful state of the arts building, built from the ground with the membership contributing the first million dollars and with matching funds from the state. The building cost 3.5 million dollars.

Our dream is for some great corporation to recognize the impact UBHS has made on children and their families and become a sponsor for its literacy program.