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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

A Head Start for the Cendejas Family

Nov 12, 2018
3 min

A Head Start for the Cendejas Family

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Rosa Cendejas, one of our team members at the ECMHSP Fort Pierce Center in Florida. Keep reading to learn more about her professional growth since joining East Coast Migrant Head Start Project in 1997. Could you tell me more about your background? I migrated from Mexico to the United States in February of 1986 and worked picking oranges in Fort Pierce, Florida for six years. In 1997, I first heard of East Coas

Twenty Years of Partnership: Ramona De Loera and East Coast

Sep 24, 2018
2 min

Twenty Years of Partnership: Ramona De Loera and East Coast

Ramona De Loera never had an easy life. She is one of ten children and from the age of eight, her parents brought her to the fields where she helped with the work however she could. As she grew older, balancing her school work with farm work became more and more difficult. Ramona failed the ninth grade because her parents pulled her from school for weeks at a time to help the family in the fields. By the time she reached senior year of high school, she knew she wouldn’t be

A Head Start in a Field of Dreams

Aug 4, 2018
2 min

A Head Start in a Field of Dreams

The Adams County MSHS Center Field of Dreams is located near the heart of South Central Pennsylvania’s “Fertile Crescent” growth area. The center is operated by PathStone, an ECMHSP Delegate Agency contracted to provide migrant and seasonal Head Start services in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The countryside encompasses some of the East Coast’s most productive agricultural areas. Our farmworker families work with apples, pears, grapes, stone fruits, picking and packing flow

East Coast Makes a Strong Impression in Washington, D.C.

Jun 19, 2018
4 min

East Coast Makes a Strong Impression in Washington, D.C.

Attendees had the privilege of welcoming the newly-appointed Director of the Office of Head Start, Dr. Deborah Bergeron. A former classroom teacher and elementary and high school administrator, Dr. B –as she likes to be called— shared how she will use her three decades of pre-K–12 public education experience to provide unique insights into how Head Start can support our most vulnerable children to become school ready. She also talked about her recent visit to ECMHSP’s Nort

ECMHSP Returns to California for NMSHSA Conference ‘18

Mar 20, 2018
2 min

ECMHSP Returns to California for NMSHSA Conference ‘18

John Menditto, ECMHSP General Counsel, thanks the parents that attended the conference during a plenary session. The National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) held its Annual National Conference in Costa Mesa, CA, from March 2 through March 6. A number of our dedicated employees travelled to the conference to make presentations on best practices we have implemented. Sofia Baucom and Consuellis Hawkins-Crudup, for example, presented a session titled, Planning

Story of ECMHSP Dreamer Shared on Capitol Hill

Dec 6, 2017
3 min

Story of ECMHSP Dreamer Shared on Capitol Hill

Leaders from the faith, business and advocacy communities read Dreamer testimonials on Capitol Hill. Photo credit: FWD.us East Coast Migrant Head Start Project is committed to preparing the children of migrant and seasonal farm workers for success. The farmworker families we serve entrust their children to ECMHSP centers while they toil in the fields every day to feed America. But many of these same families live with the fear of separation, afraid that today will be the last

Norma Flores López on a Global Stage

Oct 16, 2017
1 min

Norma Flores López on a Global Stage

Photo of Norma Flores López, Governance and Collaboration/Development Manager at ECMHSP. In June of 2015, East Coast Migrant Head Start Project lured Norma Flores López away from another wonderful non-profit serving farmworkers, the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs in Washington, DC. We brought Norma to ECMHSP so she may work on a number of important priorities here: partnering with Maria Rodriguez and Maria Hernandez in supporting the work of the ECMHSP Policy

Guest Post: Reaching the Top of the Hill

Aug 7, 2017
4 min

Guest Post: Reaching the Top of the Hill

Armando Cendejas is part of the 2017 NMSHSA Summer Internship Program and as a child was enrolled in the ECMHSP Fort Pierce Head Start center in Florida. This is his story. Armando Cendejas, one of the students selected for the NMSHSA Internship Class of 2017, shares his story at the Closing Celebration in Washington, DC. My name is Armando Cendejas. I am a 20-year-old sophomore attending Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, pursuing a degree in Physical Therap

Homecoming 2017: A Trip to a Field of Dreams

Aug 3, 2017
3 min

Homecoming 2017: A Trip to a Field of Dreams

About 15 years ago, Priscilla Garza, Cheyla Moranchel, Armando Cendejas, and Juan Rangel were young children enrolled in the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program. Priscilla’s MSHS experience was in Texas and Maryland, in programs operated by Teaching and Mentoring Communities and East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. Cheyla’s was in Oregon in a MSHS program operated by the Oregon Child Development Coalition, while Armando and Juan both attended ECMHSP’s MSHS center in For

ECMHSP on the West Coast for NMSHSA Conference ‘17

Mar 21, 2017
2 min

ECMHSP on the West Coast for NMSHSA Conference ‘17

The National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) held its Annual National Conference in Costa Mesa, CA, from March 5 through March 9. A number of our dedicated employees travelled to the conference to learn about the changes to the Head Start Performance Standards, which were rolled out last summer. It was a great opportunity to hear about implementation strategies and the importance of being outcomes-driven in our execution. Parents from Migrant and Seasonal H

ECMHSP Alumnus in the National Media Spotlight!

Dec 20, 2016
2 min

ECMHSP Alumnus in the National Media Spotlight!

ECMHSP Alumnus Misael visits our Head Start center in Virginia. This morning, NBC News published the story, “‘Life-Changing’: Head Start Gives Latino Migrant Children Early Education,” which featured ECMHSP alumnus Misael Rangel. Misael attended the Fort Pierce (Florida) Migrant and Seasonal Head Start center as a young child, and has since been a great ambassador of ECMHSP’s Head Start programs. Misael was one of the four participants selected for this year’s National Migra

U.S. Representative Mike Kelly Visits ECMHSP Center in Pennsylvania

Oct 28, 2016
3 min

U.S. Representative Mike Kelly Visits ECMHSP Center in Pennsylvania

Sister Diane Rabe is the Director of Child Development Programs at the Saint Benedict Center. This is her story about the visit of U.S. Representative Mike Kelly. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” — John Maxwell On Wednesday, October 19, U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) visited the Saint Benedict Center, the ECMHSP delegate agency in Erie, Pennsylvania. Leonor Saldaña, the center’s Policy Committee President and member of the ECMHSP Po

OHS Announces New Head Start Program Performance Standards

Sep 9, 2016
3 min

OHS Announces New Head Start Program Performance Standards

On September 1, the Office of Head Start published the final updates to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, which describe what is needed to deliver comprehensive, high-quality individualized services to support the school readiness and healthy development of children from low-income families. According to OHS, the new standards announced last week are the first comprehensive revision of the Head Start Program Performance Standards since they were originally publish

Summer Interns of ’16 Take a Walk Down Memory Lane

Jul 26, 2016
3 min

Summer Interns of ’16 Take a Walk Down Memory Lane

The NMSHSA Internship Class of 2016 take a lunch break during their visit to Virginia’s Eastern Shore and its farmworker families. “Going through the center and seeing those little kids I saw my brother, I saw my two sisters, I saw myself – all present in the form of these young souls.” – Misael Rangel On Friday, July 22, our Head Start Center in Parksley, Virginia, hosted a visit by the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association’s Summer Internship Class of 2016.

Guest Post: Success Doesn’t Fall from the Sky

Jul 8, 2016
4 min

Guest Post: Success Doesn’t Fall from the Sky

Misael Rangel is part of the 2016 NMSHSA Summer Internship Program and as a child was enrolled in the ECMHSP Fort Pierce Head Start center in Florida. This is his story. My name is Misael Rangel. I was born and raised in Fort Pierce, Florida. I am the son of Teresa and Ignacio Rangel, who immigrated to this country in search of a better life by escaping the poverty of their hometown in Guanajuato, Mexico. When they arrived in Florida, my father began work picking oranges. Aft

NMSHSA’s 8th Public Policy Forum

Jun 17, 2016
2 min

NMSHSA’s 8th Public Policy Forum

Last week, the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) held its 8th annual Public Policy Forum in Washington, DC on June 6. ECMHSP staff and parents from the Policy Council advocated for the needs of the farmworker families served by our centers along the East Coast throughout the forum and on Capitol Hill. On June 4, prior to the forum, parents from Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs from across the country received training on how to participate

Mar 29, 2016
1 min

ECMHSP Guest Writes in Honor of NFAW

In honor of National Farmworker Awareness Week, ECMHSP’s John Menditto has written a guest blog post for Farmworker Justice’s blog, Harvesting Justice. In his post, he shares the challenges ECMHSP has seen our farmworker families overcome to support their children’s education during our forty years of service. Below is an excerpt: The consistency we have seen in our own program on the United States’ East Coast is a vision shared by Head Start agencies that serve farmworker

Representing East Coast families at NMSHSA Conference ’16

Feb 26, 2016
3 min

Representing East Coast families at NMSHSA Conference ’16

John Menditto presenting at the NMSHSA Conference. The National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) held its Biennium National Conference in Tysons Corner, Virginia, from February 19 through February 23. A number of our dedicated employees travelled to the conference to make presentations on best practices we have implemented. Suzanne Jessamyn and Katherine Savage, for example, presented a session entitled, Creating Cultural Storybooks, and Karen McKnight pres