Innovation, Culinary-Style



Central Kitchen Staff Present: Tyjaunna Lisa Cuellar (Food Service Worker), James Lucky (Food Service Driver), James Nelson (Food Service Driver), Becky Rodriguez (Health and Nutrition Manager) and Natasha Rodriguez (Food Service Worker). 

Natasha helps prepare school lunch.

I showed up at our central kitchen unannounced to get a better sense of what goes on every day. I must say, there was no shortage of things happening. Carrots cooked on the stove, Sloppy Joe's bubbled in a commercial-sized kettle, and a large quantity of paperwork lay out on a work table. Our Health and Nutrition Manager, Rebecca Rodriguez, served double duty since our cook was out sick. The kitchen staff rallied well to finish morning tasks. With washed and gloved hands, I was working within five minutes. Under Rebecca’s supervision, I packed meal substitutions for children with food allergies following a highly detailed report.

Food was transferred to trays and hot boxes for delivery to the centers, phone calls from the centers came at a steady pace, and the drivers checked for final instructions before heading out for the day's first run. In between Rebecca explained the program’s use of a five-week rotating menu system and the corresponding color-coding method used to track pantry and freezer items. We discussed food safety, spoilage and nutritional guidelines.

Facing the same requirements as other providers, our U.S. Department of Agriculture food program is subsidized with Head Start funding to make ends meet. Guidelines designed to insure adequate provisioning and food safety rightly come first. We prepare food based on actual enrollment as dictated. One of the challenges is that we only get reimbursed for meals served. So a meal prepared for an absent child gets wasted in more ways than one.

Our menus have been evaluated by licensed dieticians for good nutrition and the introduction of healthy food choices for children. At pre-service training last August, Rebecca prepared a tasty quinoa dish for the teaching staff to sample. Quinoa is on this year's menu and a surprising number of children really like it. Teachers get equal credit for that. Attitudes about food are largely learned. Teachers work to make mealtimes fun.

The five-week menu system is not only healthier, it also allows for better planning and pantry controls. The system is already cutting down on food waste. By summertime, we will be able to buy in larger quantities and negotiate better prices. Less waste and lower costs will help offset general food price increases and unreimbursed meals. It is innovation, culinary-style.
 

The drivers of our culinary innovation are all within Head Start itself. It is easy to think and say that one employee cannot make much of a difference. That is so far from the truth. The food service team is proof positive that taking ownership of your area of expertise can lead to significantly good things. 

I walked in to the central kitchen on a challenging day for them. I am sure they would have preferred my visit to have been on a day where everything was textbook perfect. Perfect days may happen. When they do, taking note and savoring the moment is good. More frequently, coworkers will call off sick, and their absences will be felt. One-off events will create delays and the need to adapt quickly. These are not issues unique to our agency. What is unique and growing in our agency is a willingness to take on our issues. As food service demonstrated, thoughtful and purposeful action trumps momentary obstacles every time.  

New Traditions

Hopkins-Locke Center
Classroom 5
Jaclyn Fullerton, BA-ECE, Hired 2014
Dianna Gifford, BA-ECE, Hired 2014

Head Start turns 50 on May 18, 2015, and our centers are going all out for bridging ceremonies this year. We hope we are starting a new tradition of getting the community more involved in what is a very special time for our children, their families and all the Head Start staff as our students transition into Kindergarten well-prepared. You are all cordially invited to join us in celebrating the achievements of Hamilton and Wellington students on Tuesday, May 19 at LCCC’s Stocker Center. We hope for an equally strong turnout on Wednesday, May 20 at Lorain Palace Theatre for the students of the Hopkins Locke and the Child Developmental Center. Please save the dates.

Planning these celebrations tie neatly to my classroom visit this week. All sorts of new things are happening at Hopkins-Locke, including in Ms. Fullerton and Ms. Gifford’s room. Both teachers shared how they are discovering new ways to meet each child’s needs and make adjustments as the children progress.

 

While separately accomplished, these two teachers have similar teaching styles. They are at ease with the children. They speak firmly but kindly. They issue instructions to the children in short, clear sentences. They listen intently to the children. I saw both react with amusement more than once at something a child said. At the same time, they are both very attuned to the preferences and abilities of each child.

What I Learned from Ms. Fullerton and Ms. Gifford

These two teachers are permissive in the best ways. They consistently gave the children choices. Something as simple as being excused from the lunch table to get water instead of having milk may not seem like it is worth noting. I thought it was amazing. If the children respectfully asked, all reasonable requests were granted. It helps children gain language skills and build self-confidence.

Memorable Moment

After leaving Classroom 5 I was approached by Kim Algood, one of our four Home Visitors who serve home-based students. Twice a month parents in the home-based program are invited to bring the children for group play. About seven children were playing in the center play space while parents talked among themselves. There seemed to be a great deal of information being exchanged. Our home-based program is back this year since federal funding lost during the sequestration was restored. It truly came back better than before thanks, in large part, to staff who understands how to best use home-based services for children and families.

Linking It Together

I have been asked if I will continue blogging next year. With the snow finally melting and plans for bridging well underway, there is no avoiding the reality we are just a few months away from the end of the school year. Blogging about bridging will be my last entry until school resumes in September. I am thinking of making it a photo blog so that those unable to attend get a sense of all they missed.

Blogging helps keep me connected in ways that matter. I want to retain that and yet do something slightly different next year. I have not figured out exactly what yet. Just like our teachers keep updating what they are doing in their classrooms, I want to do that, too. That is what Head Start has done through the decades. The program is turning 50 and yet it remains relevant and vital. It comes down to purpose and being open to creating new traditions as needed. It will be fun to see what September brings.

Sunny Skies and Sunny Smiles

Ms. Jones, Head Start teacher, pictured with her students. 

Children’s Developmental Center, Amherst

Ms. Jones, AA-ECE,
Hired 1995
Ms. Shelly, BA-ECE
Hired 1994
Ms. Watkins, Family Service Worker, Hired 1998

My visit to the Children’s Developmental Center was my very first ever visit to that facility. So I took the opportunity to approach it from the viewpoint of a parent seeking Head Start services for the first time. My very first impression getting out of my car was one of being welcomed. There was a colorful, fenced play space that made me wish it was warm enough to be outside. The center is nestled in a somewhat wooded area and there was a woodpecker making quite a racket. I immediately envisioned teachers’ taking the children on short nature walks in the warmer weather.

Inside the building were wide hallways and plenty of windows. Children’s artwork was affixed to the glass and walls. I entered a room that was well equipped and well organized. The light blue walls reflected the sun pouring in the windows and many of the children were smiling. It was sunny skies and sunny smiles.

There was a parent in the room meeting with Ms. Watkins, the classroom’s Family Service Worker. Both teachers were working in small groups with the children. As a prospective parent, I would have been impressed and want to know more.

I stayed for about an hour and a half. Ms. Watkins was in and out of the room. There was a tornado drill that went off without a hitch. The Spanish teacher came and gave the weekly lesson. We also had structured learning and free play. Through it all, the teachers interacted with every child and children were consistently thanked for making good choices.  

Memorable Moment

I played with a magnetic construction set with one young boy. After about 20 minutes of play he wanted to know if I was in love with him yet. Both Ms. Jones and Ms. Shelly let me know he would ask me that question. I truthfully told him that I found him very lovable.     

What I Learned from Ms. Jones, Ms. Shelly and Ms. Watkins

The teamwork at CDC was so woven into how they interact that tasks were handed back and forth with very few words; the day’s lesson plans rolled seamlessly from one thing to the next. Even when activity levels rose, the tag-teaming kept everything on an even keel. There was a very high level of interaction among the children. They were clearly emulating what their teachers and family service worker do every day.  

Having seen the team in action, I can better envision details of that nature walk. Before taking the children out Ms. Shelly would read the children a woodland creature’s pop-up book from her personal library. Ms. Jones would make sure the children were asked thought-provoking questions during the walk. Not one child would be left out. Once back inside, Ms. Watkins would be right on hand checking in and helping as needed. 

Linking It Together

With the State of Ohio expanding services this year, thankfully, families have more choices. Families with young children are also leaving the county as work becomes available elsewhere. Those factors plus lower birth rates in some communities and transportation challenges, have resulted in space available in our Head Start classrooms. After more than seven years of being full with waiting lists, this is new for us.

Of course, I am biased about Head Start. I see how having developmentally appropriate learning, nurturing environments and supportive services to families make for a program that really does uniquely prepare children for school success. I cannot help but think that if we could get parents of young children, both those in center-based and home-based settings, to visit a classroom we would quickly make them Head Starters. “Come see for yourself” does not seem like a very compelling message. Maybe our new outreach slogan should be more along the lines of “Are you in love with us yet?”