Recently, Jenn Gaffney, the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Coordinator, paid a visit to Grandma Lana’s classroom to read a storybook to the Kindergarteners. During the visit, Jenn chose to read Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Webb, which turned out to be a delightful experience for both the students and Jenn.
Tieyonnia Brandon began working in our Head Start program in February 2018 as a Teacher Aide, then became a Teacher Assistant later that year and a Family Worker in 2022, obtaining her Child Development Associate Credential and Family Development Credential.
Tieyonnia has been an anchor at our Merrick site, continuing to provide a great deal of classroom coverage throughout the building as well as support to families beyond her standard caseload due to continued staffing shortages. Meanwhile, she is attending college classes at night, and is on track to earn her Associate’s Degree in Human Services by December 2024.
Our Head Start Family Workers help clients to prepare their children for success in school and beyond, by meeting families where they are while providing support and encouragement toward forward movement at their pace. Tieyonnia has demonstrated through her work that she realizes the key to success and positive progress for families is based on developing healthy partnerships and being a valuable and encouraging resource, whether it is by supporting them through the complex challenges of homelessness, or by assisting them with the initial steps of scheduling a child’s first medical exam.
Recognizing her dedication, commitment, and hard work, we are pleased to honor Tieyonnia Brandon as our Employee of the Month for March!
Photo: Employee of the Month Tieyonnia Brandon, with Merrick Head Start Site Supervisor Sharon Bean and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.
Erin Hess has been a lead teacher at our Head Start site in Lafayette since September 2021. She was chosen for this month’s award because of the dedication to excellence that she consistently demonstrates as a child development professional, and for always being positive and helpful toward her co-workers.
Congratulations to Erin Hess, our Employee of the Month for February!
Photo: Employee of the Month Erin Hess, with Lafayette Head Start Site Supervisor Kelly Tucciarone and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.
PEACE, Inc. staff members and their families went to Albany yesterday for the Empire State Campaign for Child Care’s 2024 Advocacy Day. Alongside local partners and advocates including the Early Childhood Alliance of CNY; Child Care Solutions of CNY; Partners in Learning, Inc.; the Salvation Army; and Micron Technologies, critical conversations/education took place with lawmakers and with a public rally. Among the most important calls raised: the importance of investing in the child care workforce and the need to make it easier for families to access quality early childhood child care and education.
#NYSuniversalchildcare #PEACEIncSYR
Carolyn Brown, Executive Director of PEACE, Inc., took a break from her executive duties to visit Merrick Head Start and read to the children in room 211. Brown’s warm and engaging storytelling brought the pages of the book to life for the young listeners.
The children were captivated by Brown’s stories and her expressive reading. They giggled at the funny parts, gasped at the suspenseful moments, and cheered for the characters they came to love.
Brown’s visit was a reminder of the importance of early literacy and the power of storytelling. She hopes that her visit will inspire the children to develop a love of reading that will stay with them throughout their lives.
“It was such a joy to read to the children at Merrick Head Start,” Brown said. “Their enthusiasm and excitement were contagious. I hope that I was able to spark a love of reading in them that will last a lifetime.”
Merrick Head Start was recently honored to host Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter (128th District) and share the exciting work they are doing with families and youth. Assemblywoman Hunter had the opportunity to learn how the program is meeting the learning and nutritional needs of its young students while also empowering families.
“We were thrilled to welcome Assemblywoman Hunter to Merrick Head Start,” said Carolyn Brown, Executive Director of PEACE, Inc. “It was a great opportunity to showcase the important work we do and how we are making a difference in the lives of children and families in our community.”
Head Start/Early Head Start is a program of PEACE, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides a variety of educational and support services to children and families in the community. The program serves children from birth to five years old and offers a variety of services, including early childhood education, Head Start, and family support services.
We are grateful to Assemblywoman Hunter for her visit and her support for our work. We are committed to continuing to provide high-quality early childhood education and support services to the children and families in our community.
Karen Morano, RN worked for Head Start based at the Liverpool site from November 2014 until August 2016, then returned to the program at the St. Brigid’s site in August 2017. For most of this time she has been assigned to more than one location, and currently she covers the Genesee and Liverpool sites.
Karen is known for always demonstrating kindness, a positive attitude, a refreshingly off-beat sense of humor, and support for her co-workers and for the preschoolers she serves, in a role that frequently pivots from the dull routine of maintaining medical records to the urgency of an injured child. She is particularly adept at making the children laugh, or helping to keep them calm, and she even quits and crochets blankets to contribute to their families.
Thank you, Karen, for everything you do, and congratulations on being named as our Employee of the Month!
Seana Davis has been working with preschoolers in our Head Start program since 2001. She was previously honored as Employee of the Month in December 2009, and is currently a lead teacher at our Liverpool location. Here are some of the comments that were included in her nomination to receive this award again:
“It is clear from the moment you step into her classroom that Seana is dedicated to her profession.”
“She not only treats every child with compassion and understanding, but also consistently shows patience and kindness to any individual who enters her classroom.”
“Seana is always willing to try any suggestions or ideas she is given, often thinking outside the box. This way of thinking has helped her persevere, no matter what challenge is thrown her way.”
Thank you, Seana, for everything you do, and congratulations on being named again as our Employee of the Month!
Photo: Employee of the Month Seana Davis (center), with Executive Director Carolyn Brown (L) and Liverpool Site Supervisor Kelly Jensen (R).
Shang-Ning (Shenny) Chien joined our Head Start / Early Head Start program as an Intake Worker in November 2021, and has earned her reputation for being very efficient and positive in performing her work, and for being very conscientious about helping the rest of the Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, & Attendance (ERSEA) team. An illustrative example provided by one of her co-workers occurred when a parent went to Shenny’s site by mistake, and instead of having that parent reschedule the appointment for a later date at the correct location, Shenny rearranged her busy schedule in order to perform that intake herself.
Thank you, Shenny, for everything you do, and congratulations on being named our Employee of the Month for August!
Photo: Employee of the Month Shenny Chien (center), with Executive Director Carolyn Brown (L) and HS/EHS ERSEA Coordinator Katy Hollins (R).
Carol Alexander joined Liverpool Head Start in August of 2017 as a floating center aide, a role in which she has enthusiastically contributed to the operations of her site in a variety of ways, such as providing assistance in the classrooms, or maintaining inventory of supplies, or serving meals. But during the past two school years the nutrition aide position has been chronically vacant, requiring Carol to spend almost all of her time in the kitchen, preparing breakfasts and lunches and snacks for the preschoolers while paying close attention to their many special dietary needs.
Thank you, Carol, for spending so much time in a very important role that you did not choose, and congratulations for being named our Employee of the Month for June!
Photo: Employee of the Month Carol Alexander with Executive Director Carolyn Brown (L) and Site Supervisor Kelly Jensen (R)