Four years have passed since Pathways for Children moved into a freshly refurbished building on Emerson Street, where staff and parents are still in awe of their surroundings.

It is a wide, rectangular, one-story building, bright, clean and modern, with plenty of classrooms and playrooms. Colorful posters adorn the walls, such as a mechanical breakdown of a Ferrari and a shot of a space shuttle taking off. An empty 100-by-100-foot room affords an area where kids can run and behave as all energetic kids do when it's too cold or wet to play outside.

It is a vastly different place from Pathways' former domicile, Maplewood School, a century-old building where copper roofing nails with a 90-year life span often failed, sending slate tiles winging down from the heavens. The old school's floors were found to have been secured with an asbestos-based glue, and windows that had been set high enough to prevent small children from falling out also discouraged firefighters getting in. Thick brick walls provided excellent insulation in winter, and even better heat retention in summer, contributing to the colloquial reference to the building as "the oven." Prior to being located in Maplewood School, Pathways, formerly Child Development Programs, was in the basement of the Prospect Street Armory, which some describe as having been "dungeon-like" in its darkness, though comfortable and spacious.

Forty years have passed since the original Pathways began, first funded with federal Head Start dollars. The places have changed, and the faces, too, but the premise remains the same: to provide affordable early childhood care and education in a safe, comfortable environment for Cape Ann families, in effect giving kids the "head start" their parents might not be able to provide.
It won't be 33 giant lobsters or 45 Adirondack chairs auctioned this year when Pathways reaches out to the public as part of its annual fundraising: rather, 40 years of helping Cape Ann families will be rung in with a big birthday bash in August.

But to have a party, there needs to be guests, and Pathways wants some of the more than 10,000 alumni children and parents to attend.

"My dream is to find all these people, get them together, and take a picture," said Susan Stendahl, chief development officer at Pathways. "With today's technology, we might be able to hear from a lot of people."

Barring the off-chance that all 10,000 Pathways children will attend, Stendahl will happily settle for letters, photographs and anecdotes sent from dispersed alumni.

It's all part of a plan to piece together the history of Pathways, from its inception as the Head Start preschool program in 1967, to today's child-care development, education and young families initiative, all of which have touched the lives of many Cape Ann families, including at least 400 kids this year.

Derek Reed, cofounder and managing partner of Beauport Financial Services LLC in Gloucester, was a Pathways kid in 1976 when he was 4 years old. He volunteers his time on Pathways' board of directors as a financial specialist. He said the reason for Pathways' success in the Cape Ann community is due to the leadership and staff who, over the years, have always made sure kids have had a safe, welcoming, nurturing place to grow up. "It's the very fact that it has been needed in Cape Ann," said Reed, "that (Pathways) has succeeded."

"There are several things that are fortuitous to my life because of Head Start," agreed Peg Leeco, 54, who left an abusive husband and returned to her hometown of Gloucester with her two young children 25 years ago. "It's what people in need, need at the time."

Both of Leeco's children went through the Head Start and afterschool programs at the old Prospect Street Armory building. Her daughter, Caroline Cardone, is now 31 and an architectural and interior designer in Florida. Her son, Andrew Cardone, 26, is an artist in Cambridge.

Candace Unis, 54, said she is fortunate to be part of a family involved with Pathways over multiple generations. As a single mother, she moved to Gloucester 30 years ago with her then 3-year-old daughter, Renee Frontiero, and heard about the Child Development Program through a flyer that advertised half-day child care. She put her daughter into the preschool program and began volunteering in the classrooms. By 1985, Unis's two other children, April and Mark Unis, now 28 and 26, were involved with Head Start, and Unis was working as Pathways' family involvement specialist.

Today, Unis is the information technology director at Pathways, and sees her two grandchildren, 5-year-old Shayne and 2-year-old Akyra, every day. "It's terrific to have them here. I know they're in a safe environment, and I know they're being well cared for."

Single mother Rachel Stevens, 25, said she vividly remembers the Red and Orange rooms from her time as a preschool and afterschool Head Start kid in the 1980s. She also remembers that the food wasn't too good at the time. "It's great now, though. My son doesn't complain," she said. Stevens' son, 6-year-old Justin Andersen, has been going to Pathways programs since he was a year old, leaving time for his mother to work at The Spa in Rockport.

"They did so much with us when we were kids," Stevens said. "I'm working all summer now, and my son is out on the beaches with kids his own age (and Pathways staff). It's wonderful."
"My most distinctive memory, other than reading," Reed said, "was blowing bubbles with dish detergent. I inhaled a little too much, once. I can still taste the disgusting mixture of water and ultra-concentrated dish detergent."

A committee to oversee the August celebration has been created, and wants to hear other memories from Pathways and Child Development Programs alumni. All photos and materials sent to the committee will be safely returned. Contact Stendahl or Stephanie Walters for additional information at 978-283-2400, extensions 150 and 154, respectively.

Seeking Pathways kids
Pathways For Children and Head Start are turning 40 this August. But before there can be a big birthday bash, there needs to be guests. Pathways is hoping some of the more than 10,000 children who went through the former Child Development Program will step forward, contact them, send in letters, photographs and anecdotes, all to help piece together the 40-year history of one of Cape Ann's most beloved institutions.

What: Help Pathways for Children celebrate 40 years of success

How: Were you a Pathways (formerly the Child Development Program) kid? Contact Pathways and tell them your story. Mail photos, letters and anecdotes to: Pathways History Project, 29 Emerson Ave., Gloucester, MA, 01930

Why: There will be an August birthday celebration, and Pathways is inviting all alumni, including parents. But to gauge how effective 40 years of the program has been, stories are needed.