Amina Ali FanFan, a healthy and bright 2 year old with a beautiful smile and sparkling eyes the color of coal, began her relationship with the Early Head Start Program at Baby and Family Services in Newark, New Jersey before she was born. Her mother, 18 year old Dena Ali, was ready to begin her freshman year at Kean College in Union, New Jersey. But, when she learned she was pregnant, she left her parents' comfortable suburban home in Maplewood and moved in with a friend in the very different world of Newark.

"It was a bad situation and one of the toughest years I went through. Luckily, I had Babyland," says Dena, looking back on Amina's birth at the end of her first year in college.

Babyland: A Haven of Help

Dena found out about Babyland's Early Head Start Program through a cousin of Amina's father, Patrick FanFan. During her pregnancy, Dena participated in Babyland's home-based program and was visited weekly by early development childcare workers who helped her and Patrick prepare for Amina's arrival through counseling on parenting, life, and leadership skills.

According to Ty Minter, a Family Development Worker and Male Involvement Coordinator for the Early Head Start Program at Babyland, " All of our young people come from fragile families. They've had a very rough going and not much support. Head Start becomes their family and, in a sense, helps them to focus on their goals and extends to the entire family."