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

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

Marietta College volunteers get familiar with the Head Start services we offer our migrant and seasonal farmworker families. Cathy Cobb, ECMHSP Whiteville Center Director, gave them a warm welcome and a presentation on who ECMHSP is to familiarize all volunteers with the Head Start services offered to the migrant and seasonal farmworkers in our program.  A light breakfast and lunch were provided to the volunteers, which worked hard to beautify our center. Our Marietta College

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Iralda Badillo, one of our team members at the ECMHSP Bowling Green Center, located in Florida West.  Keep reading to learn more about her professional growth since joining East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. Can you please tell me about your background? I was born in Mexico and came to the United States when I was eight-years old. We arrived in Jacksonville, Georgia during the tomato season.  My parents work

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

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