Bridges to Success

Hamilton Center
Family Service Workers’ Office
AM FSWs: (pictured from left to right) Jessie Smith, Dana Daniels, Jackie Verda, and Kim Shannon (not pictured).

I changed it up this week. Instead of a classroom, I spent time in the Family Service Workers’ office at our Hamilton Head Start Center. Our Family Service Workers (FSWs) have a unique job that does not readily compare outside of Head Start. Part of the job is registration, not unlike the staff at the hospital who gather all your information before testing or admittance. It also involves front-line advocacy. That role reminds me of the fitness staff circulating on the floor at a gym. The ones right there to show you the ropes and help you get the most out of your membership. The most visible part of the FSW’s job is enrollment recruitment. Anyone who has attended a school or training of their choice has encountered a recruiter; your experience with the recruiter was likely one of the deciding factors in making your application.

I worked at the meeting table just inside the door. Maria Vasquez, the supervisor, put me to work monitoring student files. She gave me a crash course on how to review and set me loose. The files are divided by requirements:  a section for enrollment and eligibility, a section on health and assessment, a section on authorization for student release. A complete file easily has 20 to 30 required documents. Most documents have multiple sections and fields with asterisks indicating leaving the spaces blank was not an option.

File-keeping and proper documentation are big deals in the Head Start world. Incomplete records result in findings by auditors and licensing authorities. Missing assessments or out of date records can also yield findings. When you realize that almost every piece of information is used daily in some way, you know this is not an unreasonable standard. Most importantly, this information is used to serve children and families in the best way possible. Its accuracy is important.

The FSWs are a study in task management and perpetual motion. They popped among phones and email and parents tapping on the door. There was a literacy event with fathers that had each FSW staying in contact with teachers. Attendance was done by the time I arrived, but attendance follow up was in progress. FSWs have responsibilities related to meal counts. We also continue to recruit. Two new placements were being processed which was the source of happy smiles. Giving a child and family a new beginning never gets old.

What I Learned

The morning held few surprises, but was valuable nonetheless. I hear from the Head Start supervisors and managers about the importance of family engagement. When one of the FSWs said that being accessible to parents is an over-riding practice for her, I was pleased to see how priorities are shared. That FSW said that she gets out into the hallways when parents are in the building just to make contact. I have been told in the past that helping parents set goals is all about understanding what they are dealing with on a daily basis. Being in the hallway is a very smart approach and provides a FSW ripe opportunity to be of service.

Linking It Together

Our administrative offices are in downtown Lorain. I drive over the lift bridge on Erie most mornings to get to work. This time of year it is rare to get stopped because the bridge is up. The center lift sections of the bridge are actually grated metal and driving over the metal makes your tires rumble. I think Family Service Workers act like that bridge. They help parents get where they are going. They reassure parents that stops and starts are to be expected and that you can still usually hear the radio over life’s rumblings. When turning up the volume is not enough, it is good to know that help is at hand to figure out what else to do. 

When Stars Align

Hopkins-Locke Center
Room 6
Mrs. Jennifer, Masters-ECE, hired 2014
Mrs. Geetha, BA-ECE, hired 2008

When Stars Align

The State of Ohio implemented the Step Up to Quality rating system for preschools and day care centers several years ago. This year the system was updated from three starred levels to five starred levels. SUTQ already influences which programs are selected for additional funding opportunities. It is also driving improvements in training and credentials of both teachers and administrators.

Currently, all LCCAA's Head Start centers have earned three stars. While pleased and proud, we are already looking and working to increase our rankings. We have locations that will move up to five stars within the next 12 to 18 months.

This brings me to my weekly classroom visit at Hopkins-Locke, which received notice that its three star rating was renewed while I was on site. I walked into Room 6 mid-morning to find students "ice skating" on carpet using paper plates as skates. The theme of the week was ice and snow. There was snow in the water table with utensils and toys to manipulate it into shapes and structures. We ate ice cubes filled with fruit and fruit juice. All of these activities grew from the creativity and dedication of the two teachers. We played in the gym area where every child found fun in pedaling, climbing, sliding, throwing balls or balancing on movable stepping stones. In the course of playing we identified colors, counted and shared quite nicely. Gym was followed by time with the Spanish teacher who visits all classrooms weekly. It sure felt like a five-star experience.

What I learned from Mrs. Geetha

Geetha personally shopped for the fruit and made the ice cubes as a treat for the children. Those fruity ice cubes sparked plenty of conversation. However, some of it involved the candor of young children and their well-voiced fruit preferences. I admired how Mrs. Geetha handled the feedback. She was graciousness personified.

What I Learned from Mrs. Jennifer

I asked Jennifer about the new curriculum we invested in this year. The curriculum aligns to our classroom evaluation methods and student assessment systems. Our objective was to strengthen lesson planning and help teachers more readily link children's learning with intended outcomes. Her observations were balanced and clearly stemmed from seeking to understand and use the materials in the best way possible.

Memorable Moment

I had two memorable moments. The first was in another room. A teacher, Mr. Mark, did a science experiment with the children using eggs. Submerse an egg in pure vinegar for at least 24 hours and see what happens. You can also add food coloring to the vinegar like Mr. Mark did. I don’t want to give anything away but I will say the students used the word "squishy" at one point.

The second memorable moment involved playtime in the gym. I played basketball with a very focused boy. He slam dunked and threw for three pointers and made up both his score and mine as we went along. His scoring was creative but surprisingly fair. When I made a more difficult shot, he gave me three points. He cannot add and subtract yet so the numbers were all over the place. Following one of his all-star, long-distance throws that caught the rim and circled twice before dropping through the net, he declared himself the winner. I conceded.

Linking It Together

When I am at the centers I notice all of the things that still need addressing. Sometimes it is little “just do it” types of things. Other times I know that we have to finish addressing underlying issues before the changes being made result in day-to-day differences.

As part of Step Up to Quality, we are required to do an annual staff survey. We conducted ours earlier this month. We did so knowing we were only 80 working days into a significant staffing change (adding team teaching and bachelor degreed teachers). Our Educational Services Team used a survey designed specifically for early childhood environments and 57 employees took it anonymously.

Many valid frustrations were documented. Some related to recent changes and others related to areas we are working to improve. For instance, we are working through a plan to provide stronger employee recognition and performance evaluation. It has not been a small undertaking; and it will be several months before we begin training management staff on new forms and procedures. All staff will not be involved until the new school year in the fall.

There was one shining statistic that says we are and will continue to make progress. One of the last questions in the survey asked staff to rate their commitment to teaching in early childhood:  92 percent said they are committed to doing what they do as their life’s vocation. A whopping 74 percent of those rated themselves as “very committed.” A full 53 percent rated their commitment a 10 out of 10.

This high level of commitment shows itself with eggs in vinegar and paper plates as skates. It shows itself as meaningful lesson plans. It shows itself with children who feel safe and secure to learn. It is demonstrated in the encouraging words and patient addressing of behaviors. It is a commitment born inside each individual teacher and no amount of training will create it or make up for if it is lacking. We talk about the new energy in our program. The buzz is coming from teacher commitment; and I believe the strength of it will allow us to work out the rest.