Rise up! BakerRipley Head Start programs overcome pandemic challenges to keep helping children shape their future

As someone who began her career as a teacher and principal, I feel very strongly that early childhood education and development are pillars of strength and vitality for our communities. I never forget that I am where I am today because of educators who laid the foundation for me, who opened doors and created pathways of access for me. That's why I'm so excited about the start of the new school year for BakerRipley's Head Start and Early Head Start (HS-EHS) programs.

Our HS-EHS educators are the first teachers, mentors, and leaders who inspire thoughts and model actions for thousands of little boys and girls. The impressions made on these very young children will enable them to open doors and create pathways of opportunities and success for themselves. These educators have a great responsibility to make a difference in who these children will be in the future and how they will shape that future.

I draw great inspiration from the challenges of the past year-and-a-half.?Throughout this unprecedented time of crisis, our BakerRipley HS-EHS teachers demonstrated the ability to persevere, adapt, and flourish.?I’m proud to say there are no individual stand-outs because each and every one of them is a rock star!

No one has to tell our BakerRipley HS-EHS educators that they are essential workers; that commitment is just understood as part of the job. Like us, many parents of the children we serve are essential workers, too, doing jobs that do not offer "work-from-home" options. That's why keeping our Houston-area classrooms open for face-to-face instruction has been essential. Each day, these moms and dads bring their children to HS-EHS and then head off to work with peace of mind that their little sons and daughters are in a safe place receiving educational enrichment and good care.

To help the growing numbers of children and families in need of our services, we turned to our partners at the Houston and suburban Stafford school districts, the virtual learning resource provider Fueling Brains, and the Edison Innovation Foundation. Working together, we expanded our HS-EHS programs to additional campuses and opened a new early childhood center in the Edison Lofts, an affordable housing complex in Missouri City, a Houston suburb. A $7 million boost in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act enabled us to cover additional necessities including personal protective equipment, virtual learning platforms, and technologies for our students, as well as cost-of-living increases and hazard pay for our teachers.

Every year, Head Start programs across the U.S. are required to undergo a thorough review by the federal Head Start administration to ensure that our curricular content and fiscal procedures are in compliance with regulatory requirements. Despite the challenges we had to juggle, I'm proud to say that BakerRipley's HS-EHS programs aced this year's review! In fact, we're doing such a good job that many of our social service agency peers around the country have been contacting us for advice and guidance on protocols, procedures, and best practices to help improve their early childhood education and development programs.

Our BakerRipley HS-EHS team members truly support each other to ensure our children and families have the best services for their needs. They also help drive my commitment to BakerRipley, our mission, and our future.

Despite times when our team members didn’t know if they were making a difference, or they wanted to give up because they had their own life challenges, they pushed through it, rose up, and made a difference.

I feel absolutely confident that many of our next generation of local, state, national, and international leaders will emerge from our BakerRipley HS-EHS classrooms. That sweet little boy who loves puzzles could be the future mayor of Houston and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. That little girl energetically stacking building blocks could become governor of Texas and the inventor of the cure for cancer. It's also possible they will work together as the leaders of BakerRipley. Whatever paths they choose, I know in my heart they will rise up thanks to our dedicated educators who are working hard today to make sure their future is unlimited.

Quality education has the power to break barriers, bridge gaps, and close the digital divide. We dream with eyes wide open to replace fear of the unknown with ideas for amazing possibilities so that our children can dream big and turn those dreams into outstanding realities.

Please join me in wishing ALL THE BEST for our BakerRipley HS-EHS educators and students during 2021-2022.

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