Anyone who meets Almeta Faye Richards Keys, wife and mother of five, grandmother of nine, will quickly realize three things about her. She is deeply religious, has a strong work ethic and is fascinated with butterflies.
The butterflies may best symbolize Keys’ life. As a butterfly evolves from a caterpillar into something amazing, so has Keys evolved from a struggling Head Start mom to St. Mary/Vermilion Executive Head Start Director. Recently she received her Masters Degree in Education - Administration and Supervision from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Additionally, Keys has been recognized locally, statewide and across the country for her excellence in management and has received numerous prestigious awards.
Keys attributes her many accomplishments to following the advice her parents gave her as a young girl. "They would always tell me that the sky was the limit; I could be what I wanted to be and do what I wanted to do if I put God first and worked hard."
Keys, the eleventh of thirteen children, born to a sugarcane farmer and homemaker in the tiny community of Sorrell, recalls using soda pop bottles and Johnson grass to make dolls. "We were poor, but we didn’t know it because our parents showed us so much love and care. Her humility and her love for the Head Start Program are evident as she speaks of her own tough times trying, along with her husband Gabriel, to raise five children. "When I came to Head Start, I was on Food Stamps and we were struggling just to make ends meet. I still carry around my old food stamp card to remind me of where I came from. By my example, I want other parents to see that they too can achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Helping them to realize this gives me the opportunity to give back to Head Start for the great influence it has had on my life," Keys said.
The personable Keys was a paraprofessional employed at Thomas Gibbs Elementary School in the Chapter One Reading Program and actually a Head Start parent volunteer in the Franklin Peter Pan Center, when she decided to apply for the vacant Head Start Director’s position. "I was hired in 1989 and didn’t know what I had gotten myself into," Keys said. "But I kept my word and went back to school and didn’t get just one degree but three, now with my Masters." Keys now directs a program that services 664 families with 16 Head Start Centers in St. Mary and Vermilion Parishes.
Keys considers her greatest success as being "an empowered former Head Start Parent", and is very reluctant to take credit for her achievements. Instead, whenever she is praised, she quickly acknowledges the fact that she approaches her work from a team approach and that she has been blessed with an awesome staff.
Keys’ believes that her involvement in Head Start has not only helped her to evolve into a successful Executive Head Start Director, but it has also had a great affect on her family. Her husband, who recovered from a major illness, is currently a Sergeant with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Department. Of the four of her five children that attended Head Start, one has earned a Masters Degree in Engineering, one has a Bachelors Degree in Marketing, one is a State Board Certified Cosmetologist and one is a Head Start Clerical Assistant. Just recently, her two daughters, who were inspired by their mother’s accomplishments, have gone back to school. Her oldest son who did not attend Head Start has also been influenced by Head Start. He is an Air force Retiree and currently holds several certifications including one as a deep-sea diver.
Keys is currently in Washington, D.C. working on a Fellowship with the National Head Start Bureau. She is also writing a book detailing her struggles from a Head Start parent to an empowered Executive Head Start Director. "Throughout all I have done, I always remember to give God the glory for the great things He has done in my life through Head Start. Without Him, there would be no success", said Keys.
