Twenty Years of Partnership: Ramona De Loera and East Coast

Ramona De Loera never had an easy life.  She is one of ten children and from the age of eight, her parents brought her to the fields where she helped with the work however she could. As she grew older, balancing her school work with farm work became more and more difficult.  Ramona failed the ninth grade because her parents pulled her from school for weeks at a time to help the family in the fields.  By the time she reached senior year of high school, she knew she wouldn’t be able to continue migrant farm work if she wanted to graduate.  When it was time for her family to migrate upstream, she stayed in Florida and worked three part-time jobs to keep contributing to her family.  Although there were many obstacles, she graduated with the help of wonderful mentors at her high school.

Ramona is very involved in her children’s education. She regularly visits our Migrant Head Start Center in Wauchula, Florida.

Ramona became a mother twenty years ago, in 1998, when her daughter, Esmeralda, was born.  At the time, Ramona was a farmworker and it was impossible to find a reliable and affordable care for Esmeralda. Ramona’s life changed for the better when she learned of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project’s Migrant Head Start Center in Chandler Mountain, Alabama. There, Esmeralda would receive wonderful care from Head Start teachers and would get a head start in life by becoming a dual language learner.

Ramona attends an event at our Migrant Head Start Center in Wauchula, Florida. She had the chance to dress up as one of Mexico’s beloved TV personalities, la Chilindrina.

A life of farm work can take a tremendous toll on the body. In 2006, Ramona was picking oranges in Florida when she started experiencing intense pain from transporting sixty pounds of oranges down a 20-foot-tall ladder.  Weeks later, Ramona would have her hernia surgically repaired and would no longer be able to perform this type of farm work.  She’s still working hard in the fields.  However, she’s now responsible for the irrigation and weeding of orange trees in Florida, which doesn’t put her at danger of getting another hernia.

Ramona was present at the National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association’s 2018 Public Policy Forum.

Ramona is the mother to seven girls ranging in age from one year to twenty years. Two of her girls will be enrolled in our Migrant Head Start Center in Wauchula, Florida this upcoming season.  Ramona proudly serves on our Policy Council as Vice President and on the Board of Directors of the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association.  When we asked about her 20-year experience as an ECMHSP parent, she said, “To me, East Coast doesn’t feel like someone who is providing services to my family. Instead, I consider them a friend who is constantly giving me a hand. I’ve been blessed to be part of this organization.”  We consider ourselves the lucky ones to have such a great leader among our parents.  Thanks for your trust these past two decades, Ramona!

Promoting Parent Engagement at East Coast

For more than 40 years, ECMHSP has offered high-quality and comprehensive Head Start services to farmworker families.  We have created a strong partnership with the parents of the children enrolled at our centers, and through their dedicated service and leadership, we are able to design a program that meets the unique needs of the farmworker families in our communities.

One such dedicated parent is Gloria Castillo, who has been an ECMHSP parent for five seasons.  She was born in Queretaro, Mexico, and has lived in the United States since 2005.  Gloria has almost 10 years of experience working in the fields.  She’s proud to say that three of her four kids have had the opportunity to attend the ECMHSP Faison Center in North Carolina.

Gloria visits the ECMHSP Faison Center and meets Dr. Bergeron, Director of the Office of Head Start.

When we asked Gloria what the most important service that ECMHSP has offered her family, she says, “Health services is the greatest blessing from this program.  The ECMHSP staff is always on top of all vaccinations and routine exams.”  Two years ago, her daughter Leslie was thoroughly evaluated by the ECMHSP staff that focuses on disabilities.  They diagnosed Leslie with a speech impairment and immediately helped set up weekly therapy sessions.  Today, Leslie is doing much better and is a stronger communicator.

Gloria Castillo’s greatest treasures!

Gloria has been challenged to grow in ways she never thought possible.  She’s currently serving as the ECMHSP Faison Center’s President of the Parent Committee, an honor that she’s had for two consecutive years.  Her responsibilities include coordinating monthly parent meetings and attending training with the help of the center’s director.  Since she’s done such a great job leading the Parent Committee, she was also elected to be a part of the ECMHSP Policy Council since August 2017.  In the near future, Gloria hopes to start ESL classes that are offered by ECMHSP’s community partners.

While we proudly serve the needs of farmworker families across seven states, we recognize all that we benefit from their service as well.  We thank Gloria for being one of our superstar parents!

A Head Start in a Field of Dreams

The Adams County MSHS Center Field of Dreams is located near the heart of South Central Pennsylvania’s “Fertile Crescent” growth area.  The center is operated by PathStone, an ECMHSP Delegate Agency contracted to provide migrant and seasonal Head Start services in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The countryside encompasses some of the East Coast’s most productive agricultural areas.  Our farmworker families work with apples, pears, grapes, stone fruits, picking and packing flowers, nursery crops, packing eggs, poultry, and caring for farm animals.

Last week, the four selected participants of the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association’s 2018 summer internship program had the opportunity to visit the center that currently serves 59 children.  Childhood memories filled their heads as they walked into the center.  More than 15 years ago, they were the same kids that today were getting a head start at the Adams County MSHS Center Field of Dreams.

ECMHSP is a proud supporter of the NMSHSA summer internship program, which provides paid internships each year for four college students who previously participated in the MSHS program, such as Erika Aguilera.  “Visiting the Migrant Head Start Center brought me so many flashbacks of when I was a little girl dipping my fingers in paint and learning my 123’s.  When I saw the babies and toddlers, I was excited for their future and the potential they all have,” Erika said.  As a child, Erika was enrolled in a MSHS program operated by Agri-Business Child Development, a former ECMHSP delegate agency.

Julian Martinez, another participant of the NMSHSA summer internship program had a lot to say about his visit to Adams County.  “Going to PathStone in Pennsylvania was eye-opening and awe-inspiring.  My visit was remarkable because as I sauntered into the first classroom, my mind flooded with memories of being a child again and going to my center in Texas with teachers who cared for me as their own and classmates who became lifelong friends.  The experience was eye-opening because it showed me how fortunate I was to have been able to attend a center where I was cared for and protected from the fields filled with dangerous pesticides and farm equipment,” said Martinez.

The interns were not the only ones impacted by the visit.  ECMHSP’s dedicated staff were reminded how important the high-quality education provided at ECMHSP MSHS centers is in preparing these children for success.  These four NMSHSA interns are headed towards bright futures and show us that Head Start works!  The 2018 visit to the Adams County MSHS Center Field of Dreams, was a great way for them to end a summer filled with life-changing experiences.  ECMHSP looks forward to hosting the next class of summer interns, and wish the Field of Dreams center a great season!

Planning for Head Start Success Through Shared Governance

Effective governance is an essential part of any successful Head Start program.  East Coast Migrant Head Start Project is proud of the strong partnership we have with our Board of Directors and Policy Council!  Their great leadership and unwavering dedication to the mission allows us to provide comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education and Head Start services to farmworker families.

Each year, the ECMHSP Board of Directors and Policy Council meet to fulfill their shared responsibilities and, in collaboration with the ECMHSP management team, provide strategic direction for the organization.  This year, the ECMHSP Shared Governance Meeting took place on July 20 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the location of ECMHSP’s headquarters.

Leading up to the Shared Governance Meeting, the Board of Directors and Policy Council members met with their respective standing committees.  Each committee meeting is filled with rich discussions as the members delve deep into their corresponding topics and do “the heavy lifting” in fulfilling their responsibilities.  Policies and program data is reviewed; proposals are made and debated; and committee recommendations are prepared for presentation to the governing bodies.

The Board of Directors and Policy Council built on the momentum from the committee meetings and met last Friday for their annual Shared Governance Meeting.  The President of the Board of Directors, Dr. David Conde, called the meeting to order and initiated introductions, followed by a moment of silence in solidarity with the children and families currently separated at the US/Mexico border and remain in detention or have been deported.  Then the President of the Policy Council, Meiby Mora Soto, presented her report, The View from the Policy Council, which exalted significant milestones and activities achieved by the Policy Council over the past year.  Following her report, ECMHSP’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jose S. Villa, provided his report, The View from the CEO, which provided a review of accomplishments and challenges of the organization.

The Board of Directors assumes legal and fiscal responsibility for the organization and charged with safeguarding the Head Start federal funds.  Each year, they are presented with the results of the external financial audit to ensure the organization’s financial statements are in compliance.  The external auditing firm provided Board and the Policy Council with this year’s report, which contained no significant findings.  You can view the results of the most recent audited financial statements on our website.

During the annual Shared Governance Meeting, the Board and Policy Council are provided with presentations on policies and applications that require their joint approval.  This year, they approved the 2018-19 Migrant and Seasonal Head Start grant application, the ECMHSP Strategic Plan for the following five years, and the updates to ECMHSP Shared Decision-Making and Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures.

Norma Flores López, Governance and Collaboration/Development Manager, with the ECMHSP Governance Team.

In between the thoughtful discussions and thorough presentations, the Board of Directors and Policy Council made time to celebrate as well.  The Policy Council hosted a beautiful baby shower for the Governance Manager, which became a night filled with fun activities, lots of laughter, and—most importantly to our tiniest guests—delicious cake!  At the conclusion of the Shared Governance meeting, the President of the Board of Directors also hosted a reception to provide the meeting attendees an opportunity to get to know each other outside of the board room.

ECMHSP Policy Council

The insightful input and careful decisions made by the Board of Directors and Policy Council provide ECMHSP with a road map to success for our Head Start program.  The farmworker families we serve from Lake Okeechobee, Florida, to Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, will benefit from last week’s shared decision-making and can rest assured that the leadership of ECMHSP remains as committed as ever to their families’ well-being.  We look forward to next year’s Shared Governance Meeting in Washington, D.C!

A Safe Haven for Farmworker Families

The ECMHSP Hendersonville Head Start Center opened on Monday, June 25.  Mayra Lozano, Family Services Coordinator, was one of the most eager staff members receiving our farmworker families on the first day of the season.  About 20 children showed up ready to learn.

An ECMHSP parent is excited to pick up her children.

The ECMHSP Hendersonville Center is unique because it’s located in Western North Carolina.  The county is known as the Apple County because it’s surrounded by apple orchards.  Besides harvesting apples, this center’s families also work with tomatoes, corn, strawberries, bell peppers, and squash.  They also work pack a variety of produce and at nurseries.

Mayra Lozano, Family Services Coordinator, reading to the children at the Hendersonville Center.

Mayra has been part of the ECMHSP family since 2017.  However, her experience at Telamon started in 2012, so she brings our organization plenty of experience.  She knows first-hand how much farmworker families sacrifice.  Although Mayra was only nine-years-old at the time, she recalls the day her dad fell off the ladder while picking oranges in Florida.  The consequences would be life-changing because her dad broke two discs in his spinal cord.  Seeing that her dad lost his ability to walk due to this accident shaped the rest of her life.  Mayra knows that many farmworker families would struggle without the services that ECMHSP provide, so she always goes out of her way to give her very best.  She knows how important it is to provide farmworkers’ kids a safe haven for learning while their parents are doing back-breaking labor in the fields.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia Gets a Head Start

Currently, Jose Enriquez is the Family Services Coordinator at the ECMHSP Parksley Center.  The ECMHSP Parksley Head Start Center is special because it’s ECMHSP’s only center that serves two states, which are Virginia and Maryland.  Work done by our farmworker families in the Eastern Shore include: the production and harvesting of tree crops, field crops, nursery crops, eggs, poultry, fish, seafood, and the care of farm animals.

Jose was born in Veracruz, Mexico.  At the age of 13, he settled with his parents in Virginia.  From a very young age, he saw how hard both of his parents worked in the tomato fields for over five years, so he decided to make them proud.  His excellent grades allowed him to finish high school as the sixth best ranking student.  He always knew that he would pursue a career that gave back to his community.  Now, as a part of the ECMHSP family, he makes a difference every day.

Making new friendships during the first day of the season!

Jose has lived in the Virginia Eastern Shore area since he was a child, so families rely on him for crucial information about services.  “From the enrollment process, we are the face of the center.  If we don’t give a good impression, then parents won’t trust us,” says Jose.  The ECMHSP Parksley Center opened on Tuesday with 19 children.  Jose shares that families need Head Start services to be extended for additional weeks.  Currently, this center operates between June and November.  However, when the center closes, farmworker families struggle to find a place that provides similar services for their children.  Jose is determined to increase enrollment of farmworker families and hopefully extend the center’s season.

The children enjoy the nutritious meals provided by our amazing ECMHSP staff.

Jose points out that one of their most important partnerships is with the Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc.  These clinics have outreach workers that provide assistance to families and even help transport them to their doctor’s appointments.  They are constantly in contact with the families and are very responsive to the farmworker community.

When farmworker families migrate to Maryland and Virginia’s Eastern Shore, they know they can count on the Parksley Center to provide them with the lifeline into the community to meet their families’ needs.  Jose, along with the Parksley Center staff are committed to making a difference, one smiling child at a time.

East Coast Makes a Strong Impression in Washington, D.C.

Last week, the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) held its 2018 Public Policy Forum at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.  Staff and parent leaders representing Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) grantees from across the country came to the nation’s capital to discuss the most pressing issues affecting the farmworker community and to hear from policy officials about the latest developments in the Head Start program.

Attendees had the privilege of welcoming the newly-appointed Director of the Office of Head Start, Dr. Deborah Bergeron.  A former classroom teacher and elementary and high school administrator, Dr. B –as she likes to be called— shared how she will use her three decades of pre-K–12 public education experience to provide unique insights into how Head Start can support our most vulnerable children to become school ready.   She also talked about her recent visit to ECMHSP’s North Carolina Migrant and Seasonal Head Start centers.  Of her trip, Dr. Bergeron said, “In one day I got to get a sense of the Migrant Head Start experience from the family, farmer, center, and community partner perspective. It was a 360⁰ view for sure!”

Following Dr. B’s opening remarks, advocates discussed the current state of play in Washington on a range of policy and legislative issues affecting MSHS families in 2018.  In a panel titled, “Washington Update: Policy Issues Impacting Farmworker Families,” panelists provided updates on the federal budget, appropriations, and the impact of tax reform on our communities and the federal programs families rely on, including the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program.

There’s no doubt that immigration reform was among one of the most important subjects covered during the Public Policy Forum.  In a panel discussion moderated by ECMHSP’s John Menditto, speakers highlighted the crucial nature of our advocacy work for farmworker families. Common sense immigration reform can benefit farmworkers, farmers, and everyone who relies on American-grown fresh fruits and vegetables, while providing parents with the security that they will not be separated from their children.  Additionally, farmworkers are losing work opportunities with the increased use of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers program.

Javier Gonzalez, ECMHSP COO, Meiby Mora, ECMHSP Policy Council President, and John Menditto,  ECMHSP General Counsel.

At the conclusion of the panel on immigration, Meiby Mora, ECMHSP Policy Council President, shared how in 2015, ECMHSP offered Meiby pro bono immigration services to apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) after she was turned away by other lawyers.  The challenges Meiby faced in obtaining her legal protections are some of the same challenges farmworkers face due to their migratory lifestyle and lack of documentation.

Monica Ramirez with ECMHSP parents.

Following the panel, participants heard the story of Monica Ramirez, the proud daughter and granddaughter of migrant farmworkers.  For more than two decades, she has served Latina farmworkers and immigrant women as an organizer and advocate, and she has focused her work on ending gender-based violence in the workplace and achieving gender equity as the co-founder and President of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas.  Monica Ramirez received a standing ovation for her powerful message to all attendees.

The afternoon panels also highlighted other challenges being felt in the communities MSHS centers serve.  One panel reflected on what advocates see as the greatest challenges and opportunities facing Head Start providers working in rural communities – including hiring and retaining staff, financing and maintaining quality facilities, and transportation.  The final panel of the day discussed the importance of sharing the stories from our communities through various campaigns supporting the immigrant community and Head Start programs.  Farmworker parents shared how their powerful stories have made a difference, whether it was a video, letter or art from their children.

As part of day two of the Forum, the ECMHSP team was invited to discuss the MSHS program and the needs of the farmworker community by members of Congress and their staff.  A total of nine staff members, four parents and two former Head Start students met with Hill staffers to share the great work ECMHSP is doing in their communities and discussed ways we could partner to better support farmworker families.  One ECMHSP advocacy team comprised of Dr. José Villa, Chief Executive Officer, Christine Alvarado, Chief Innovation Officer, and parents Ramona Deloera and Nalleli Trejo, had the most impressive meetings; they had intimate gatherings with US Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson of Florida.

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Erika Aguilera, NMSHSA Intern.

Although ECMHSP had the opportunity to meet with US Senator Cory Booker’s Legislative Director, later in the day, we ran into Senator Booker while he was shooting a commercial on the steps of the Supreme Court building.  One of NMSHSA’s four interns for the summer, Erika Aguilera, had a quick chat with the Senator to advocate for the Head Start program in New Jersey and throughout the United States. She shares —

 “Running into Senator Booker was quite the surprise. We spoke in Spanish because he felt that it was very important to continue the language. I mentioned to him that migrant families are vital to this country being that they feed America. I emphasized how important the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program is for children because those children can then grow up and receive amazing opportunities, like myself. To give him a better idea, I explained how my father has worked all his life in the fields picking seasonal fruit and in the winter, harvesting grapes, which is a tough job that not everyone can tolerate.”

The NMSHSA 2018 Public Policy Forum was a huge success.  Head Start parents and advocates from the farmworker community shared their stories with important lawmakers in hopes that they can recognize farmworker families for performing one of the toughest jobs in the United States and sharing their support.  ECMHSP will keep uniting with all MSHS programs nationwide to defend farmworker families and to ensure the children of farmworkers are prepared for educational success.

Guest Post: Growing Up with a Migrant Mother

Photo Credit: La Voz

I recently attended the funeral of our Godmother Lala Esquibel. Her passing was more than an interruption of the life our families.

The closer you got to her two sons in their moment of sorrow, the more devastating was her departure. They say that funerals are a way of coping for those left behind and this certainly was a great example of that purpose.

I lost my mother in 2002 after a relatively long illness. Knowing she would be gone soon, she attended our family reunion in Austin, Texas to say goodbye and ask her younger sister, my Aunt Lydia, to look after us.

We buried Uncle Robert, one of mother’s brothers a week ago in Texas and everyone was there including my Aunt Lydia. My brief moments with her brought back so many memories of living with and loving mom.

As I prepare to celebrate both the Mexican Mothers Day on Thursday, May 10^th and Sunday May 13^th for those in the United States, I have so much to go over. The spirit and shadow of mother’s power and affection hangs over us as it has always.

My earliest memory of mom was when she was 15 and I was a 1-year old holding a tin cup so that my grandfather, who was milking a cow by hand, could fill it. Drinking that warm milk with mother looking at me with pride was the subject of the first story I wrote for a school project.

I remember her with us in the back of a truck as we prepared to leave South Texas for the harvest fields of the Midwest. Our travel began that year in front of a courthouse where one of the men in the group went in to get a copy of his birth certificate because even then, having your papers in order was important.

It was that year that mom showed her mettle as a 19-year old leader in the migrant community. I was on the floor at my father’s feet in the front cabin of a truck that was headed back home from the harvest fields of Missouri, Ohio, Michigan and Arkansas when we were refused service at a restaurant in Wichita Falls, Texas. My angry mother came from the back of the truck and took over the driver’s seat and the caravan that followed.

She found a restaurant that would serve us because she could read a sign that said, “We serve all the children of God.” She never waited for the right political climate such as today’s “#Me Too” to exercise effective leadership as a woman and her reputation grew in the fields even after we settled in Colorado.

Until shortly before I left to join the Air Force, mom continued to take the family during the summers to work the cotton fields in the South. The last time I spent one of these summers with her, she managed a Black crew from Louisiana that chopped and clean the cotton fields of Central Texas.

In a way she was like an older sister that grew up taking care of a younger sibling. Our closeness came out of growing up together in an atmosphere of unconditional love that only a mother can give.

Mom created a magical world founded in the richness of what she offered even in the middle of poverty and economic challenges. She was a leader of people that always sought to address issues greater than herself and the regular requirements of a loving mother.

[Written by David Conde. Published in La Voz Bilingüe on May 9, 2018.]

Dr. David Conde is the President for North America of the Chamber of the Americas.  He currently serves as the President of the ECMHSP Board of Directors and a Contributing Writer to La Voz Bilingüe. 

Building Trust in Loxley

The ECMHSP Loxley Center in Loxley, Alabama, welcomed more than 40 children on Monday, May 7.  The families we serve work with a variety of crops, such as: sweet potatoes, potatoes, strawberries, corn, green beans, and peppers.  Dignora Bonilla is confident that in the upcoming weeks, more than 100 children will fill the center with joy and laughter, especially since a third person has been recently added to her team to help with recruitment.

Dignora came to U.S. from the Dominican Republic at the age of 16.  She joined the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project family in 2009 as an Assistant Teacher at the Loxley Center.  About a year later, she was appointed as the Family Services Coordinator.  During the last nine years at ECMHSP, her passion of serving farmworker families has allowed her to grow professionally and take advantage of the educational opportunities.

Dignora Bonilla, Family Services Coordinator at ECMHSP Loxley Center, enjoys reading to the kids.

Dignora shares that new families tend to have a difficult time at the beginning of each season, which is the reason why it’s so important for her to build trust the first time she meets with them.  A couple seasons ago, she recalls a single mother dropping off her four-year-old child on the first day.  They both hugged each other as they cried their eyes out.  The woman told Dignora that she wasn’t sure about leaving her son anymore. Dignora comforted her by saying she would keep a close eye on her son.  “Your child is safe with us.  Please allow us to place him on this path to school success,” said Dignora.  About 10 minutes after the child’s mom left, Dignora found him in the playroom interacting and laughing with the other children, so she sent mom a picture to give her peace of mind.

The Loxley Center children are really excited to participate in crazy hair day. 

What is the key to her team’s success with our farmworker families?  Respecting their values, being culturally sensitive, and always reminding them of the organization’s open-door policies.  Farmworker families at the Loxley Center are immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.  When asked about the uniqueness of her center, Bonilla points out that the Loxley staff is very dedicated. “We make things happen. Our center is the priority, so if we need additional training to cover a different position, we do it,” says Dignora proudly. All teams come together to ensure that they provide high quality services for our farmworker families.  Stay tuned as the Loxley Center continues to advocate for more farmworker families.

Two Decades of Serving North Carolina Farmworker Families

Celia Rodriguez was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. when she was two years of age.  Her parents were farmworkers for more than 30 years, so she knows firsthand how much migrant farmworker families struggle.  Celia recalls being a migrant farmworker child between the ages of 10 and 14 years.  The hardest thing about being a migrant farmworker child was adjusting to a new school and making friends.  Celia couldn’t make close friendships because she moved every three months. Another difficulty she faced was that each school had a different curriculum.

During her first day at the ECMHSP Long Creek Center, a child plays with her teacher.

Today, she’s been working at the ECMHSP Long Creek Center in North Carolina for 21 years as a Family Services Coordinator.  The Long Creek Center serves primarily three groups of families during the season.  First, the families who come to pick strawberries from early April and usually stay until late June or early July.  Then, there are the blueberry families who usually arrive in May and leave the first week of July.  Lastly, the tomato families arrive around July and stay until the end of the season, which is in late September.

Part of Celia’s profession is to build strong community partnerships, which can sometimes provide life-saving services.  Last year, a four-year-old child at Long Creek Center was found to have a brain cyst.  A nurse at Pender County Health Department and a social worker tried endlessly to get the child an appointment to see a specialist.  Celia served as a point of communications between the medical professionals and the child’s family.  During more than two decades of working at ECMHSP, Celia had never felt so much frustration for not being able to help as she watched the child’s mom crying on a regular basis, pleading for an appointment.  After six weeks, Chapel Hill Hospital was finally able to perform a CAT scan and informed the parents that the cyst would not hurt their child’s development.  The family and the ECMHSP staff were relieved with the news.

Celia Rodriguez, Family Services Coordinator at ECMHSP, has been advocating for farmworker families for 21 years.

The Long Creek Center opened its doors to farmworker families for the season on May 2.  Meeting new children and their families is Celia’s favorite part of her job.  “The children’s voices and their singing make this a happy place.  The children bring life into the centers,” says Celia.  It’s because of mission-driven leaders like Celia that our migrant and seasonal farmworker children successfully transition into public school.

By sharing our blog post with your family and friends, you will help us continue advocating for more farmworker families on the East Coast.  We will continue to write about the miracles that happen every day at our centers.