Animals large and small, from a Scottish Highland bull named “Shaggy” weighing more than a 1,000 pounds, to rabbits light enough for a preschooler to pick up were on site for a special family engagement day Tuesday, March 25, at the Head Start program in Bellefontaine.
Head Start children, along with their siblings, parents and grandparents had the chance to check out the small herd of friendly animals from Horse-N-Around Fun LLC, based in Mount Sterling, also including a llama, alpaca, miniature horses, a miniature donkey and goats.
The families gathered around to interact with the animals outside on the lawn at Union Station, 613 Hamilton St., where the Head Start Bellefontaine program is housed.
Cody Bush, who runs Horse-N-Around Fun LLC with his wife and children, was on site to field questions from the youngsters and adults alike, and to share with them about each of the individual animals’ stories. Shaggy, for instance, is quite docile and as a young bull, was scared of a small goat on the farm, Bush said with a chuckle.
Each year, Head Start provides funds for family engagement activities, and parents voted on the petting zoo for this year’s activity, explained Christina Neill, Logan County Head Start early childhood services coordinator.
“It’s been a great day to invite our families here to enjoy this fun time with their children. We’ve all learned a lot about the animals from the farm and we appreciate Cody being so approachable and answering all of our questions.”
Bush noted that his family started their business about 12 years ago, and their farm is open for visitors on site in Mount Sterling, or he travels with the mobile petting zoo or pony rides to various events and activities all over Ohio. During December, he also was in Bellefontaine to offer the horse and carriage rides in the downtown area.
Many of the animals at Horse-N-Around Fun LLC are rescued, either because they needed a home or had special needs that required more accommodations and care, Bush said.
“Every one of our animals has a story no matter how they found their way to Horse-N-Round Fun. Each animal gets a name, love and special attention,” he said.
Head Start also is gearing up for its open house and registration for the 2025-26 school year, Neill noted. The open house set for Tuesday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Union Station, where families can tour classrooms and also apply for the new school year.
Council on Rural Services (CORS) Head Start classrooms in Logan County are available at Union Station in Bellefontaine and at Benjamin Logan for the 2025-26 school year.
Center-based Head Start is available for children ages birth through 5 years old. In addition, a home-based program is also available for weekly home visits involving children and their parents and periodic group socialization opportunities.
Head Start is available at no cost to eligible families. To apply online, visit www.corsp.org.
