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Advancing the Lives of Farmworkers in South Carolina

Oct 17, 2020
4 min

Advancing the Lives of Farmworkers in South Carolina

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

Alcanzar el sueño americano a través de la educación

Oct 14, 2020
2 min

Alcanzar el sueño americano a través de la educación

Por motivo del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, conversamos con Carlos Klinger, Miembro de la Mesa Directiva de East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. Carlos Klinger nació en Arica, Chile. Como muchos, llegó a Estados Unidos con la meta de cumplir el sueño americano. Después de muchos años de sacrificio, formó una empresa de contabilidad que en la actualidad es muy exitosa. El acceso a la educación siempre fue una gran preocupación para Carlos, especialmente en los primeros años y

Guest Post: ECMHSP’s Journey to Implementing the Planned Language Approach (PLA)

Aug 1, 2020
2 min

Guest Post: ECMHSP’s Journey to Implementing the Planned Language Approach (PLA)

Written by Consuellis Hawkins-Crudup, ECMHSP School Readiness Manager. ECMHSP’s presentation at the 2020 NMSHSA National Conference, which took place March 6-11, in San Diego, California. On October 18, 2019, I was invited to present the ECMHSP Journey to Implementing the Planned Language Approach (PLA) model at the OHS School Readiness Institute in Washington, DC, because we were the only grantee in the country consistently using the model. PLA provides Head Start programs

Our Families Return to the North Carolina Fields

Jun 3, 2020
3 min

Our Families Return to the North Carolina Fields

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.

The National Emergency Brings Out the Best in Us!

Apr 27, 2020
6 min

The National Emergency Brings Out the Best in Us!

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

Changing the Lives of Farmworker Families with Cesar Chavez

Mar 31, 2020
4 min

Changing the Lives of Farmworker Families with Cesar Chavez

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

Guest Post: Family Engagement in Action

Mar 1, 2020
2 min

Guest Post: Family Engagement in Action

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

Guest Post: The Importance of Overcoming Child Adversity

Oct 8, 2019
2 min

Guest Post: The Importance of Overcoming Child Adversity

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

Guest Post: Latino Farmworkers in East Coast Suffer the Most

Sep 5, 2019
3 min

Guest Post: Latino Farmworkers in East Coast Suffer the Most

Photo Credit: La Voz Hurricane Dorian represents the destruction of property and the interruption of people’s lives all-along the east coast from Southern Florida north. We are at peak season for the harvest and the migrant farmworker families stand to lose even more than that. It is devastation for these families that have little more than nothing and rely only on their strong backs and their belief in the work ethic to survive. They come out of Florida in the spring and m

Nohemi’s Field of Dreams

Sep 1, 2019
4 min

Nohemi’s Field of Dreams

As a child, Nohemi Montalvo attended one of our Head Start programs in Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Before going off to college, she worked at our ECMHSP Cheriton Center as a Bilingual Caregiver for about six weeks. I invite you to learn more about her story. What is your family’s background? Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to introduce myself. I have seven family members in my family including me. My parents worked in the tomato fields for three years in

Guest Post: It’s My Turn

Aug 1, 2019
4 min

Guest Post: It’s My Turn

Monica Vicente is part of the 2019 NMSHSA Summer Internship Program and as a child was enrolled in a Head Start Program. This summer I was given the opportunity to intern with East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. With my interest in studying communications, this placement was a perfect fit. As I reflect on my first day of being introduced to Norma Lopez, John Menditto, Rita Rey, and Diane Santo, I was very nervous. They welcomed me with open arms and would often spoil me

Monica’s Purpose as a Head Start Alumna

Jul 29, 2019
3 min

Monica’s Purpose as a Head Start Alumna

Monica Vicente is a 2019 Summer Intern for the National Migrant Seasonal Head Start Association. She lives in Middletown, NY and is a proud Agri-Business Child Development alumna. She’s currently a rising sophomore at Lehman College, where she studies nursing. Her goal is to become a nurse practitioner after having first obtained a master’s degree in nursing. She considers nursing a noble career, having high morals and principles that reflect on her parents’ teachings grow

ECMHSP Named UnidosUS Southeast Regional Affiliate of the Year!

Jul 11, 2019
2 min

ECMHSP Named UnidosUS Southeast Regional Affiliate of the Year!

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

2018 Annual Report: A Year in Review

Jun 22, 2019
1 min

2018 Annual Report: A Year in Review

ECMHSP is excited to announce the release of our 2018 Annual Report, which unveiled our new logo and brand identity. The report showcases the great success ECMHSP experienced in providing comprehensive and high-quality services to farmworker families along the East Coast. Cover of the ECMHSP 2018 Annual Report Some of the highlights from this year’s report include: An overview of how our Practice Based Coaching (PBC) process is strengthening our teachers in the classroom Tot

A Head Start for the Zuniga Family

May 21, 2019
3 min

A Head Start for the Zuniga Family

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

Protecting Farmworker Children from Environmental Contaminants

May 13, 2019
3 min

Protecting Farmworker Children from Environmental Contaminants

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

Forging New Partnership with NC State Rep. Chuck McGrady

Mar 7, 2019
2 min

Forging New Partnership with NC State Rep. Chuck McGrady

On Friday, March 1, Representative Chuck McGrady of North Carolina’s House of Representatives met with ECMHSP staff Jenny Guzman, NCDS Head Start Administrator, and Carrie Jo Fiene, Hendersonville Center Director, at the Underground Baking Company. This downtown Hendersonville bakery is one of Representative McGrady’s favorite places to have coffee and pastries, and we enjoyed the opportunity to share with him the services ECMHSP provides to agricultural families in and arou

In the Right Place at the Right Time

Mar 5, 2019
4 min

In the Right Place at the Right Time

Please tell me about your background. How did you start working for East Coast Migrant Head Start Project? Before moving to Raleigh to work for ECMHSP, I was living in Arkansas. My son Bryson went to a Head Start center called Child Development Incorporated, located in Russellville, Arkansas. He attended from the age of three until almost the age of six. He was advanced and went to the gifted and talented classroom; he’s academically focused. During Bryson’s 7th grade ye

An Early Passion for Head Start

Feb 20, 2019
3 min

An Early Passion for Head Start

I recently had the opportunity to interview Mercedes Hernández, the Child and Family Health Manager at East Coast Migrant Head Start Project for almost three years. Before her last day, we talked about her experience since starting with us in September 2016. How did you first learn of the position you are currently in? I have a friend who had worked for East Coast Migrant Head Start Project before. She had worked in the North Carolina Direct Services region and forwarded the

All the News That’s Fit to Print

Feb 8, 2019
7 min

All the News That’s Fit to Print

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with The New York Times reporter, Jason DeParle. The topic of our conversation was East Coast Migrant Head Start Project’s experience with Head Start’s Designation Renewal System (DRS). This week, all that I shared with Jason was boiled down to a single cite: John Menditto of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project warns that harsh penalties may dissuade programs from serving especially disadvantaged populations like migrants. If you