Free haircuts help families

It only takes a few snips of a scissors or passes with a clippers to make a big difference in one’s appearance.

Last week, Green River and Rock Springs Head Start students received free hair cuts from local hair stylists. Angel Pope of Green River’s 307 Salon and Kaycee Thomas from Color Works in Rock Springs were on hand at the Rock Springs Head Start location to provide haircuts to any Head Start children who needed one.

Erin Barbuto from Head Start said they came up with the idea from a program Head Start hosted a couple of years ago when Head Start hosted a hair and nails event for dads and their children.

The event last week simply provided the service for all of the children in Head Start. Barbuto said the program wasn’t just about providing free haircuts to the children, it was about teaching their parents so they could cut their children’s hair at home themselves.

“It’s important to teach parents,” Pope said. “If you just have a professional give you tips you’re more confident.”

Head Start is a free preschool for families who are in the low-income bracket. It’s difficult for these families because they are either at or below the poverty line.

This is why the employees at Head Start thought it was a good idea to try and teach the parents how to extend the life of their child’s haircut or for parents who were more confident to cut their children’s hair themselves.

Pope said she has a couple of family members who work for Head Start and she’s pretty sure that’s one of the reasons she was asked to help out.

“I had an entire blast the whole time,” Pope said.

For parents who still weren’t comfortable cutting their children’s hair, it was a way for them to learn how to extend the life of a haircut by simple blending techniques, Pope said.

Pope and Thomas not only gave the parents tips on cutting hair, but showed them how to do it.

They also taught parents with girls how to braid their child’s hair like the popular Disney characters Elsa and Anna.

“Angel did an awesome job teaching them how to cut hair at home,” Barbuto said. “To be able to do it yourself is a real skill.”

Not only did the children have a good time, but their parents learned important skills for extending a haircut.

“I want for all the children to look good,” she said. “I want for moms to be able to have the confidence to do that.”