Michael Edmonds is a 2005 College of Charleston graduate. Upon receiving his undergraduate degree, he joined the United States Peace Corps. Michael started his career with East Coast Migrant Head Start Project during the 2012-2013 season. Please read about our recent phone interview with him. Michael, can you share information about your background? I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. Following college, I served in Guatemala as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer. I work

We recently talked to Patti Kingery, North Carolina Head Start Administrator, about the challenges and opportunities in anticipation of our center openings in three weeks. How have the last few weeks been in preparation for the start of remote services in North Carolina? Over the past two weeks, the North Carolina team, together with support from colleagues in Alabama and Florida, were able to complete applications for more than 100 migrant and seasonal farmworker children. 

On March 17th, ECMHSP transitioned from in-center services to farmworker families in Florida to remote educational and nutritional support.  This transition has required a tremendous effort on behalf of the entire project.  One leader, among many, who has played a key role in navigating these uncharted waters is Christine Alvarado, our Chief Innovation Officer.  Please read our recent phone interview with her. How did the senior management team at ECMHSP make the difficult de

In 1968, Dr. José Villa was a freshman at the University of Oregon.  There, he helped start a student group called the Chicano Student Union that would forever change his life. Why was this group needed? We were looking at increasing the enrollment of Mexican-American students at the University of Oregon.  Out of almost 15,000 students, we maybe had 15 to 20 Mexican-American students.  We went through the University’s Student Association to request funding for an office.  Thr

An Interview with ECMHSP’s New CEO, Maria Garza Left to right: Sandra Carton, Regional Manager, Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Region XII – Office of Head Start, Dr. Villa, CEO Emeritus, and Maria Garza, new ECMHSP Chief Executive Officer. Maria Garza has recently joined East Coast Migrant Head Start Project as its Chief Executive Officer. Garza, a longtime farmworker advocate and experienced government and non-profit leader, assumed day-to-day leadership of the organization o

Sofia Baucom is the Family Services Manager at East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, a migrant and seasonal Head Start grantee committed to excellence in serving children and families in their areas of need from a family-centered approach.  Sofia’s been with ECMHSP since 2002 and started her role as Family Services Manager in 2006.  She has extensive experience working with special populations across the Americas. The foundation of our program services are the parents and gu

The ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference took place October 2-4, 2019, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  This conference is for early childhood educators and clinicians to explore the world of early childhood education development through research-informed and competency-based sessions. My poster presentation was regarding Childhood Adversity and the long-lasting, negative developmental and health impacts on early childhood education.  Childhood Adversity includes Social Determinants o

Dear Reader, East Coast Migrant Head Start Project is proud to announce we were named the 2019 Southeast Regional Affiliate of the Year by UnidosUS (formerly known as National Council of La Raza).  We will receive the recognition at the UnidosUS Conference, which is being held this year in San Diego, California, on August 3-6, 2019.  Along with the recognition, ECMHSP will receive an award of $5,000. Now in its 37th year, the UnidosUS Affiliate Awards recognize community-base

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Cecilia Zuniga, one of our team members at the ECMHSP Semmes Center, located in Alabama.  Keep reading to learn more about her professional growth since joining East Coast Migrant Head Start Project in 2014. Please tell me about your background. How did you start working for East Coast Migrant Head Start Project? At the age of 19, I moved from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico to the United States.  At first, my famil

Last week, the Virginia Direct Services (VADS) team, in collaboration with Migrant Clinician’s Network (MCN), completed the second series of training for the Community Health Worker Project.  MCN is a national network of professionals working in primary care and public health settings with migrant farmworkers and their families and other underserved populations.  MCN has received funding from the Aetna Foundation to implement a project called It Takes a Community: Protecting