“Hope and change are hard-fought things” Michelle Obama
Recently a lady enrolled her four year old daughter in our
prekindergarten classroom. She mentioned that she had attended our program when
she was a preschooler. I told her that it was quite possible that I had been
her teacher at the time. She looked at me, shook her head and said, ”That was a
long time ago.”
That evening I retrieved a large box from my basement
containing photos and memories spanning 35 years of my employment at the
center. While looking through the box I couldn’t help reflecting on how our
program had evolved over the years.
In the 1980s we were called a Day Care Center and we were
just that. We provided children with a safe and nurturing learning environment
during the day while parents were at work.
In the 1990s there was a realization and shift in thinking
that in order to help children succeed in school and life not only do we have
to nurture and educate them, but we have to do the same for their families as
well. We encouraged family involvement through family events, parent meetings
and workshops. Teachers were trained and certified as Parents As Teachers parent educators. Around the new
millennium our partnership with Head Start added much needed resources and
financial support through scholarships for our low income families. Families in
crisis were referred to ECH’s Family Solutions for Kids program.
A few years ago we once again evaluated how effectively we
were meeting the needs of children and families. We concluded that the goal of
whole and healthy clients and their families is much more likely achieved in a
whole and healthy community. So we gladly took the opportunity, along with
numerous other child care centers in the Normandy School District, to be part
of United4Children and Beyond Housing’s PAQ
24:1 Initiative. Programs
Achieving Quality (PAQ) strengthens the community by improving quality of child
care, teacher training and support, family events and by making resources known
and available to residents.
All of this was going through my mind when there it was, a
photo dated 1980 in my hand showing the two of us sitting on the big school bus
getting ready to go to Sesame Street Live at the Arena!
When she saw the picture the next day there was a whispered,”
That’s me”, then a couple of tears followed by a big hug.
I feel grateful and honored that she chose us to care for
her daughter and it is my hope that we will continue to change, grow and evolve
to educate children, strengthen families and support our community for many
more generation to come.
