More Playground Improvements at Mary Bailey Head Start Center

Since 2020,  our club has worked with the Mary Bailey Head Start Center in Georgetown on a couple of occasions to improve the grounds.

The history of the center is one with deep roots in the African American community in Georgetown. As noted in the “Histories of Pride: Thirteen Pioneers Who Shaped Georgetown’s African American Community,” Mary Bailey established the first preschool in the county open to nonwhite children in 1953. To this day it serves children of all races and backgrounds to provide equitable early childhood education, health and wellness, and comprehensive services for children of families below the federal poverty level.

With the pandemic forcing many projects to be halted, members of the club had to think of outdoor projects where they could maintain social distancing. In September 2020, Bill Gordon (Past Lt. Governor), Adrian Thompson (Club President-elect), and David Walker and his family spent weekends in advance constructing sensory boards that could be installed at the school playground. Sensory boards are tools that stimulate children’s minds with sound, texture, color. Interacting with the tools on the boards also builds dexterity and fine motor skills. Club members also installed a steel drum on the playground so the kids can have some fun making music. If you had a chance to see Rachel Giannini’s keynote address in person or online at the Leadership and Education Conference in Salt Lake City last summer, you’ll know how important play is for developing young minds! (Note: she’ll be back in Indianapolis this summer for International Convention and you don’t want to miss her!)

In March of this year, members from the club and across the division came together following a Division Council Meeting hosted by Lt. Governor John Cano to participate in another project at the center. Adrian Thompson brought snacks and refreshments and secured supplies to clean up the grounds. Bill Gordon also constructed a new blackboard for the center that could be hung up on the playground fence. Members of the Kiwanis Clubs of Northwest Austin, Round Rock, Silicon Hills, and all pitched in to clear away weeds, debris, and overgrowth to prepare the flower beds for spring planting.

The club and division are looking forward to more opportunities to support the Mary Bailey Head Start Center!