The Y in Central Maryland is a fairly large and diverse organization, and our impact and reach stretches across this region in a manner that often makes it difficult to fully appreciate how our work can alter the trajectory of individuals and families. Clearly, the Y’s associates and leaders who are engaged directly with the community on a day to day basis have the privilege of witnessing that impact in a highly personal manner, but those of us who have cross-organizational roles have to use a combination of showing up at Y sites and reviewing data we receive from sources like Listen 360, our daily customer satisfaction survey, to appreciate the impact.
Recently, we received the comment excerpted below from Grace, a Y Early Head Start parent. Take a look. It speaks to an incredibly effective program that is having a material impact on families and children living at or below the federal poverty level. Early Head Start serves pregnant women, babies and toddlers under the age of three. It’s largely home-based and is designed to help young, low-income families get off to a good start. Across central Maryland, Y Head Start and Early Head Start serves approximately 1,700 children and families in 42 Y early childhood learning sites.
Here’s what Grace had to say about that program:
"Head Start to us is much more than a school program. It’s far more than early intervention. It’s an entire team of educational, medical, and developmental providers dedicated to ensuring our entire family’s health, prosperity, nutrition, developmental/social support, happiness, and academic success. Head Start has embraced my whole family, providing a great education to my children, attending individualized educational plan team meetings for my daughter, delivering food and necessities during the pandemic, offering educational/career advancement opportunities for me as a parent, and giving us the best Christmas we’ve ever had.
The Head Start team has consistently looked after the medical well-being of each of my five children who have gone through the program; there is regular communication with their medical and dental providers and each Head Start team member works hard to understand and accommodate any medical anomalies or challenges. They also make sure I as a parent am a central part of the Head Start team, fostering strong communication and involvement through socializations, frequent conferences, and parent meetings held at times chosen by the parents - with comprehensive childcare and family dinner provided as an added incentive to participate.
We love our Head Start team and can’t imagine entering school without the preparedness provided by Head Start. Ms. Dacia was instrumental in helping my son adjust to the classroom environment and was the embodiment of compassion and grace as he made his transition into school. He’s in second grade now and still talks regularly about how much he loved her. Ms. Deonna, Ms.Tara, and Ms. Tiffany kept me involved as a parent, providing frequent communication and organizing wonderful parent meetings, and Ms. Corie was our lifeline during the pandemic, delivering food and frequent check-ins while the world distanced to combat a deadly virus. All of my son’s virtual Head Start team was fantastic as well, making sure that he never fell behind despite the challenges of online learning.
I can’t, in a single paragraph, express my gratitude for all that this program has given to my family, but I hope this provides a small sampling of the importance of these professionals to us. We are very grateful."
Grace’s comments are so comprehensive and incredible that I know that some reading this might think that we wrote them! But no, we didn’t. In my experience, one never messes with a mom talking about what’s best for her kids!
I want to thank our wonderfully talented and dedicated Y Head Start team for the superb work they do. Clearly, it’s noticed by the families they serve every single day. I couldn't be prouder or more appreciative of working with people who engender the kind of feedback that Grace has provided us!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland