Remembering Bettye Caldwell:

Educator, former CFS department chair, who helped pave way for Head Start

Retired professor of child and family studies Bettye Caldwell passed away on April 17. Her work in the 1960s at the Children’s Center of Syracuse provided the foundation for what became one of the most important components of the Great Society programs known today as Head Start. Professor Caldwell, who chaired the Department of Child and Family Studies, worked for more than five decades in comprehensive early childhood development programming primarily serving low-income preschool-age children and their families. During this time, she worked closely with Dr. Julius Richmond, then-chairman of pediatrics at Upstate University. In 1967, they formed the Children’s Center in Syracuse, the first early intervention program in the country. At that time, it was forbidden in New York State to care for infants in groups. Dr. Caldwell’s advocacy resulted in a special waiver that paved the way for creation of the Children’s Center.