It Takes A Village – And Then Some!

Establishing Head Start services in a local community is one of the most challenging and fascinating journeys we take at ECMHSP.  It involves the coming together of talented and dedicated folks from a wide variety of disciplines, and it involves countless hours of strategizing, planning, and very hard work.

Young girl playing and learning in an ECMHSP Head Start classroom in Florida.

On February 5, members of our Board of Directors had the opportunity to meet many of these talented and dedicated folks when they visited two of our three Early Head Start expansion sites in Florida.  We began the day in Wauchula, where we visited our Migrant and Seasonal Head Start center and checked in on the construction status of our EHS addition.  We were greeted at Wauchula by Center Director Leti Enriquez and her core team of Sheana Hamilton, Elizabeth Arcelay, Marlen Zavala, Tina Cortez, Rosa Perez, Mariela Camarillo, and Jean Palmer, who shared with our Board the center’s services and accomplishments.  The Board was able to meet our dedicated teachers and learn about their work, while also visiting with our young children.  ECMHSP Facilities Manager Mike Wilcox and architect Ted Hoffman shared an update on the EHS addition we are completing at Wauchula, followed by a gourmet-quality lunch for everyone from Chef Brian Moore, center cook, and his supporting cast of Mary O’Neal and Juanita Perez.

From Wauchula, the Board traveled to Palmetto to learn about the phenomenal work being accomplished at our new site at the Palm View Elementary School.   Three parents from the center’s Parent Committee — Livina Aguilar, President; Evidencia Ventura, Vice President; and Cecilia Cedillo, Officer Alternate — took the lead in showing off the new center.  Their sense of pride was clear and inspiring, as was the pride of all of the dedicated Head Start staff who have made this new center such a success:  Estela Tapia, Edna Gracia, Dora Santana, Sherry Bauer, Linda Cornelius, Ingrid Rivera, Nancy Romero, Arlene Torres, Mariel Gonzalez, Enrique Torres, Kim Luna, Darleen Schaible Jorge Velazquez, Suzanne Jessamyn, Annette Betts, Mariely Rivera, and Angel Casiano.  But the best part of the educational adventure may have been the smiling faces of the children.

One of the children served by the ECMHSP Head Start centers in Florida.

Our newest Head Start center is under construction just four hours away in Hamilton County, near the Florida/Georgia state line.  While the Board was unable to visit the site, Mike Wilcox and Ted Hoffman are working tirelessly to ensure our new center is one that we can be proud of.  The modular units have been delivered and set and work has begun in earnest to finish the project before the migrant farmworker families arrive for the tomato harvest in mid-May.  This week, Mariely Rivera, Early Head Start Administrator, brings members of her core team to Hamilton County for interviews of potential staff, as well as important meetings with key partners such as the Hamilton County School District, Florida Migrant Education, and the local migrant health program.

Our growing success has been made possible through the support and partnership of our Board of Directors, our Policy Council, our dedicated staff, and the local communities in which our centers operate. Our hearts are full of gratitude to our village – and then some!

Guest Post: Growing through the Policy Council

Jimina Villafuerte is the ECMHSP Policy Council Treasurer and a farmworker parent. This is her story.

I am Jimina Villafuerte and I have the privilege to be the Treasurer of the Policy Council for East Coast Migrant Head Start Project (ECMHSP).  This is the story of how I came to be on the Policy Council and what that means to me.

It all started by just enrolling my son this past year at a Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Center in Whiteville, North Carolina.  The Niños Migrant Head Start Center, where my son attends, is operated by Telamon Corporation, which is a delegate agency of ECMHSP.  This was my son’s first time ever attending a Migrant & Seasonal Head Start program, although I remember attending many Migrant & Seasonal Head Start programs when I was a young child.

The Niños Migrant Head Start Center in Whiteville, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.

I went to the first parent meeting at Niños Migrant Head Start in April 2015.  I arrived a little late from work, just as parents with children enrolled at the center were about to start making nominations for the election of officers for the center’s Parent Committee. I knew many parents there and I was nominated for President and the other parents were expressing how I was a good candidate. Well, I thought to myself: “If other people think good things about me, then I must be saying or doing things right.  Then yes, I would do it.”

I was delighted to accept the position for President of the Parent Committee in our center. Then, as a responsibility of the President, I went to the Regional Committee meeting of Telamon Corporation, where all four centers came together. I didn’t know any of the other parents from other centers, but chit-chatting and getting to know each other helped us get a feel of who would represent Telamon Corporation. I was nominated by other members to be President of the Regional Committee and the Representative for Telamon.  Well, I thought to myself:  “Other people want me to do it and they see me capable for the position.  Then yes, I would do it.”

After accepting the position, I had Rosa Maria Matthews, the Regional Coordinator of the Migrant & Seasonal Head Start program for Telamon, asking me if I could participate in the following week’s Policy Council orientation! I remember thinking later on that day, “Wow Jimina, what did you get yourself into? You better do a great job and succeed in the position.”

When I arrived in August for the orientation I was scared — not because I didn’t know anyone, but I was scared I wasn’t going to be smart enough to understand all the information. The fact that I was going to meet very important people from ECMHSP and I had to represent Telamon was nerve-racking. But once the meeting began and the introductions started, I began to feel comfortable because those people were just like me. Everyone was so humble, even Dr. Villa, the CEO. The CEOs I had seen in movies wouldn’t meet with the “smaller people” per se.  But here, no one was smaller.  On the contrary, the parents are a super important part of ECMHSP.

From the first meeting on, I knew I was in the right place. Everyone has been very welcoming; I’ve never felt alone or lost. ECMHSP makes sure the children, parents, and families are meeting all of their needs and that the ECMHSP mission is first.  I have been able to participate in the ECMHSP Self-Assessment in September, the Policy Council meeting in October, and in December and January, I was even able to participate in job interviews for candidates of positions of work at ECMHSP. It was just when I came to Clearwater, Florida, for the February Policy Council meeting when I realized how East Coast has helped me think outside the box and review aspects of my life, and where I stand.

Photo of Jimina at the ECMHSP Policy Council meeting in Clearwater, Florida.

If I wouldn’t have put my child at Niños Migrant Head Start, I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be thinking about bettering my future. I’ve worked hard to obtain my Associate’s Degree in Applied Science, which I am very proud of, but I have set my mind to go back to school and get another degree in another field. Hopefully, with the support of my family, I will be able to obtain another degree.  I know it won’t be easy, but ECMHSP has given me the confidence in myself to believe that anything is possible, as long as you don’t give up and work very hard. I want to continue to advocate for all migrant families and one day I will achieve all my goals. Thank you, East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, for the opportunity to educate myself and for supporting all of us parents, children, and families.

 

Farmworker Families and the H2A Dilemma

Today, National Public Radio (NPR) aired the investigative report, “Guest Workers, Legal Yet Not Quite Free, Pick Florida’s Oranges,” in its show, Morning Edition.  This report is  part of a larger series by NPR, focusing on our farmworker families and the work they do providing America with a safe and secure source of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Large agribusinesses and small family farmers alike are increasingly making use of the H2A guest worker program.  For me, this development is unfortunate.  We are a country made stronger, better, and richer by new immigrants.  We are not a country of guest workers.  This year, for the first time ever, farmworker parents were unable to travel to participate in ECMHSP Policy Council meetings for fear of losing their jobs to H2A guest workers.  It should not be this way.  Today’s NPR story is enlightening and I encourage you to give it a listen.

I also hope you didn’t miss the earlier stories completed by NPR in the fall of 2015.  In September 2015, staff from the Field of Dreams Migrant Head Start Center operated by PathStone Corporation, a friend and delegate agency partner of ECMHSP, accompanied NPR reporter Dan Charles into the apple orchards of Adams County, Pennsylvania to interview migrant farmworker families.  The investigative radio report, “Inside the Life of An Apple Picker,” was aired nationally late October and featured ECMHSP parent Jose Martinez and his family.  In the story, Jose describes the challenges his family faces as they migrate from Florida to the apple harvest in Pennsylvania, and the stability ECMHSP has provided his children.

Just in time for the holidays, ECMHSP staff from the Faison and Fountain centers accompanied Dan Charles into North Carolina’s sweet potato harvest.  The story, “Behind Your Holiday Sweet Potato Dish, Hard Work In The Fields,” was aired on national radio at the end of November and featured ECMHSP parents Nabor Segundo and his wife Rosalia Morales.  Nabor invited listeners into his home, where he shared his family’s story, and into the fields as he performed the back-breaking work behind the Thanksgiving staple.

ECMHSP will continue to create media opportunities that will allow farmworker families to share their contributions to their communities, as well as the needs of their families across the East Coast.

A worker harvests grapefruit near Arcadia, Fla. Photo Credit: Dan Charles/NPR

The Results are In! Announcing Our Blog Name

Last week, we sent out a poll to the ECMSHP community to help us choose a name for our ECMHSP Blog. With a majority of votes, we had a clear winner. ECMHSP’s blog will now be called: From Harvest to Head Start.

Our new blog name represents the services and support ECMHSP has been providing our farmworker families for more than thirty years: from the fields and orchards where they perform back-breaking work to feed America, to the Head Start centers where we provide their children with high-quality early childhood education. As stated in our mission, we are committed to preparing the children of migrant and seasonal farm workers for success, and our blog name reflects how our commitment goes beyond the classroom.

We want to thank everyone that voted for a name for the ECMSHP blog. We had great participation and feedback from ECMSHP staff, as well as members of the Board of Directors and Policy Council.

We especially want to thank those that submitted name suggestions. We will be saving these creative titles for future ECMSHP reports and projects. Here are a few of our favorite write-in votes:

• The Daily Harvest
• ¡Pequeños Éxitos!
• Heads Up with Head Start

With the new name comes a new blog design, and many new exciting features. These steps are part of our efforts to amplify our voice on behalf of the farmworker families we serve.

Please follow our blog to stay up to date with the latest ECMHSP news and action alerts. If you have not done so already, check out our latest blog post by Dr. Jose S. Villa, CEO of ECMHSP. By sharing our posts with your network, you can help us raise awareness on the pressing issues in the farmworker community.

Stay connected! We have much more to come!

New Year. New Beginnings. New Blog.

Dear Reader,

2016 promises to be a year of growth and innovation at East Coast Migrant Head Start Project! (ECMHSP)

We started the year by launching our redesigned website, which provides a more user-friendly experience and features updated information about our organization. We want our community to look to our website as a destination point for early childhood education resources, success stories from our centers, and ways to get involved with our important work.

Today, we are taking the next step in amplifying our voice on behalf of the farmworker families we serve. It is most fitting to launch the ECMHSP blog on the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

This weekend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be remembered and celebrated for his tireless work for civil rights and equality. Founder of the United Farm Workers and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez shared how during his first fast in 1968, Dr. King reminded him of how the farmworker struggle was his struggle too. Through a telegram sent to Chavez, King wrote: “Our separate struggles are really one. A struggle for freedom, for dignity, and for humanity.”

The farmworker struggle continues today, and as part of the ECMHSP mission, it is our commitment to prepare the children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers for success. In order to create meaningful change in the farmworker community, it is not enough for us to provide high-quality Head Start services to our families; we must also do our part to help amplify their voices. Through this blog, we will share news from our centers and the families we serve along the Eastern shore, as well as provide updates from the Nation’s Capital that affect the farmworker community and our services.

There is a number of ways you can show your support of the farmworker families we serve.

1. Follow our blog to stay up to date with the latest ECMHSP news and action alerts. You can help us raise awareness on the pressing issues in the farmworker community.
2. Volunteer your time or professional services. The value of volunteer services is an integral and necessary part of the program as well as the communities that we serve. Check for the ECMSHP center in your area here.
3. Consider making a tax-deductible donation. Your gift offers immediate resources that are directed to the current needs of our families.

The leadership of civil rights leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., inspires us to advocate on behalf of and respond to the needs of our farmworker families, not just on this commemorative weekend, but daily through our labor of love. We are looking forward to see where this year of growth of innovation leads us, and we hope you’ll join us for the exciting journey.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jose S. Villa
Chief Executive Officer at East Coast Migrant Head Start Project