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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

Philadelphia Inspires the New ECMHSP Policy Council

Aug 24, 2017
4 min

Philadelphia Inspires the New ECMHSP Policy Council

ECMHSP welcomed a new Policy Council in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of America. During the week of August 13 through August 18, parents representing all of the ECMHSP Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs gathered for the annual orientation, the election of the new Policy Council Executive Committee and the Policy Council meeting. The week began with a meeting of the outgoing Policy Council Executive Committee on Sunday afternoon, at which the elected parent

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

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

Guest Post: Education Starts with the Very Young

Aug 23, 2016
3 min

Guest Post: Education Starts with the Very Young

Dr. David Conde is the President for North America of the Chamber of the Americas. He currently serves as the President of the ECMHSP Board of Directors and is a contributing writer for La Voz Bilingüe. This is his latest article. For me, my early educational journey was a messy business with many stops and starts as we traveled the migrant and seasonal work route around the country. We could not start the school until well into the academic year and had to leave early to sta

Guest Post: In the Interest of Children

Jul 18, 2016
2 min

Guest Post: In the Interest of Children

Holly Strait is the Senior Director Child & Family Development Services at PathStone Corporation. This is her experience at the Field of Dreams Head Start Center’s opening day. On July 12, the Adams County Family Development Field of Dreams Head Start center opened on a hot and humid day to 24 appreciative farmworker families. Parents were comfortable leaving their children in a familiar setting as they headed off to pick, pack, and process peaches. Farmworkers enroll their c

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

ECMHSP Prepares for Florida’s Farmworker Families

Mar 24, 2016
2 min

ECMHSP Prepares for Florida’s Farmworker Families

Workers place the berries directly into the plastic clamshell packages that shoppers will find in stores. Photo credit: Dan Charles, NPR This week, National Public Radio (NPR) aired the investigative report, “In Florida, Strawberry Fields Are Not Forever.” This report is part of the ongoing series by NPR, in collaboration with ECMHSP, focusing on our farmworker families and the work they do providing America with a safe and secure source of fresh fruits and vegetables. In thi

Farmworker Families and the H2A Dilemma

Jan 28, 2016
2 min

Farmworker Families and the H2A Dilemma

Today, National Public Radio (NPR) aired the investigative report, “Guest Workers, Legal Yet Not Quite Free, Pick Florida’s Oranges,” in its show, Morning Edition. This report is part of a larger series by NPR, focusing on our farmworker families and the work they do providing America with a safe and secure source of fresh fruits and vegetables. Large agribusinesses and small family farmers alike are increasingly making use of the H2A guest worker program. For me, this dev