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

Christina Arnold has been a part of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project since May of 2017.  I recently had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with her.  Keep reading to learn more about why she’s such a key team member for ECMHSP. Can you please tell me a little bit about your story at East Coast Migrant Head   Start Project? I had spent seven months as a substitute bus driver for the Hamilton County School District in Florida. One day during our regular morning m

Daniel Jaime’s childhood memories always take him back to the fields.  He was the youngest of five boys.  His mother was a single mother, who despite facing many obstacles as a migrant farmworker, always stressed the importance of getting an education.  Check out my recent phone interview with Daniel. Could you tell me a little bit about your background? I was born in Winter Haven, a city in Polk County, Florida.  I was part of a migrant farmworker family.  I recall spending

One such dedicated parent is Gloria Castillo, who has been an ECMHSP parent for five seasons.  She was born in Queretaro, Mexico, and has lived in the United States since 2005.  Gloria has almost 10 years of experience working in the fields.  She’s proud to say that three of her four kids have had the opportunity to attend the ECMHSP Faison Center in North Carolina. Gloria visits the ECMHSP Faison Center and meets Dr. Bergeron, Director of the Office of Head Start. When we as

The ECMHSP Hendersonville Head Start Center opened on Monday, June 25.  Mayra Lozano, Family Services Coordinator, was one of the most eager staff members receiving our farmworker families on the first day of the season.  About 20 children showed up ready to learn. An ECMHSP parent is excited to pick up her children. The ECMHSP Hendersonville Center is unique because it’s located in Western North Carolina.  The county is known as the Apple County because it’s surrounded by ap

Currently, Jose Enriquez is the Family Services Coordinator at the ECMHSP Parksley Center.  The ECMHSP Parksley Head Start Center is special because it’s ECMHSP’s only center that serves two states, which are Virginia and Maryland.  Work done by our farmworker families in the Eastern Shore include: the production and harvesting of tree crops, field crops, nursery crops, eggs, poultry, fish, seafood, and the care of farm animals. Jose was born in Veracruz, Mexico.  At the age

Migrant farmworker Meiby Mora Soto is both a leader and a Dreamer at East Coast Migrant Head Start Project.  The 29-year-old mother of one has served as the president of ECMHSP’s Policy Council since her election to office by her peers in August 2017. Meiby Mora attends the 2017 National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association Public Policy Forum and Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Ms. Mora Soto was brought to the United States of America from Mexico at the age of 14 in

The ECMHSP Angier Center Zorylaine Perez was born in Puerto Rico.  I sat down to talk to her during my visit to the ECMHSP Angier Center.  “One day while attending my local church, a friend who has kids enrolled here at ECMHSP mentioned the organization’s career opportunities,” says Perez.  Since Zorylaine had already worked with legal services and advocated for families, her friend encouraged her to apply.  Parents at ECMHSP understand that they must take an active role in t

Ilsy Gray has been the Center Director at ECMHSP Semmes Center since July of 2017.  But her story with ECMHSP started in 2014, when she was the Family Services Coordinator.  She says this position prepared her for the challenging role that she holds today.  Ilsy is originally from Honduras and holds a degree from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where she graduated as a Chemical Engineer.  Besides leading her center to success, Ilsy is also working toward an Ea

Clara Cappiello y Emily Diaz On November 17, Emily Diaz, a preschool teacher with the ECMHSP Loxley Migrant Head Start Center in Alabama, and Clara Cappiello, Training and Development Manager at ECMHSP, were prepared and excited to present at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) annual conference, which took place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. They were a part of, “Grandes Comienzos,” a special track for the Spanish speaking

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

ECMHSP is excited to announce the release of the 2016 Annual Report. The report showcases the great success ECMHSP experienced in providing comprehensive and high-quality services to farmworker families along the East Coast. Some of the highlights from this year’s report include: An overview of our indigenous language curriculum with parental involvement A red carpet rollout of a documentary featuring a ECMHSP family A parent’s effort to bring her congressman to her Head Star

Parents in Indiantown leave their children at the ECMHSP center to learn and play while they work in zucchini fields. On January 20, the Board of Directors of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project had the opportunity to visit children and staff at our wonderful center in Indiantown, Florida. The day began as days begin for many of our children – with a bus ride. And like the preschool children who ride our school buses, the ride to Indiantown was a learning experience for eve

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

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

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

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