May 2025 marked the 60th anniversary of Head Start and the time to celebrate Community Action month, two transformative initiatives that have empowered millions of families, children, and youth.
Head Start has long been a cornerstone of early childhood education, offering comprehensive support to low-income families and ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to be successful in Kindergarten. At our Agency, this legacy lives on through classroom activities involving language, mathematics, and science, along with social-emotional development, summertime home activities, and a lending library. These resources have helped as many as 4,000 children a year to build confidence, curiosity, and a love for learning that will carry them into their school years and beyond.
At the same time, Community Action Agencies like SETA have spent over six decades addressing community needs at its roots. Through public forums, funding ten community organizations, and facilitating workshops for partners, the Agency has been committed to providing a network of resources and services to empower Sacramento County residents to find long-term and emergency support. In 2024, we served 2,245 households, representing 6,636 individuals through our multiple programs funded by the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).
With this dual milestone, the connection between early education and community empowerment has never been clearer. The same values that launched Head Start and Community Action—equity, opportunity, and local leadership—continue to guide SETA’s work today. Anita Maldonado, Executive Director of SETA, says, “As we celebrate 60 years of Head Start and Community Action, we honor a legacy of resilience, opportunity, and local leadership. These programs have not only uplifted generations of children and families, but they have also strengthened the very fabric of our community. At SETA, we remain deeply committed to expanding opportunity by ensuring that every child has a strong start and every resident has a voice. This milestone is a testament to what we can achieve when we invest in people and believe in their potential.”
