Fifty years ago, in May of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson stood in the White House Rose Garden to announce the creation of Project Head Start, a federal program that would provide comprehensive early childhood education services to children facing poverty. Half a century later, I count myself among the millions of mothers whose lives have been transformed by Head Start. I first became acquainted with Head Start about 28 years ago. My son was 3 years old when he was diagnosed with severe autism. As a young parent without much family support, I struggled to make ends meet as I grappled with...