Hope and Change by Regina Garrett, Early Education Center Teacher

“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.