“If someone has a gift to work with children, then I suggest this as a place for them to make their home and their career. It’s just a world of endless possibilities.”
“I’m an assistant teacher at New St. Paul Head Start. I have my CDA (Child Development Associate credential) and I’m finishing my associate’s at Oakland Community College. My ultimate goal is to get my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood development. And I’m gonna get that.
One of my teachers introduced me to the HighScope curriculum. I worked in elementary schools and taught at learning centers. Then I met some interesting [Head Start] teachers and I liked what I saw: how they engaged in the fun and learning with the children, how they were teaching the children, guiding them. That was very interesting to me.
In May, I will have been at New St. Paul for two years. I’m so glad that I came here. I like the togetherness and support we give each other. The training is phenomenal. We have lots of opportunities to attend different trainings. I love that, because we should love to be educated on what we like to do. I have passed the word along to several of my friends, and they’re interested early childhood as a career. They’re getting their credentials together. If someone has a gift to work with children, and I hear this in their voice, then I suggest this as a place for them to make their home and their career. It’s just a world of endless possibilities.
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the children smile as they learn. Some of the parents have brought their kids back to see me (after they’ve moved on to kindergarten), and I’m just so elated about that. It makes me smile when I know that a child felt the love I poured out, to see their smile and know that they received something from Miss Loretta. That makes me so happy.”
