Brittany Young has been a Family Worker at our Merrick Head Start / Early Head Start site for three years as of this month. She was nominated for this award for all of the ways she consistently brings positive enthusiasm to not only her case management duties, but also when assisting her co-workers in many ways such as covering classroom breaks, filling in as a school bus monitor, and in particular helping with technology issues — while also managing an additional caseload due to our current shortage of Family Workers.

Thank you, Brittany, and congratulations for being named our Employee of the Month for November!

Photo: Employee of the Month Brittany Young, with (L to R) HS/EHS Family & Community Services Manager Kate Tohafjian, Merrick Site Supervisor Lynette Durkin, and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

Stephanie Misner is having a very eventful week: she is celebrating her 10th anniversary as a lead teacher at our Liverpool Head Start site, she just returned from the Elevate Conscious Discipline conference in Las Vegas, and today we are honoring her as our newest Employee of the Month! Stephanie was nominated for this award because even among our highly effective educators she stands out for all of the ways she engages and shows appreciation for her co-workers, her students, and their parents.

Congratulations to Stephanie Misner, our Employee of the Month for October 2024!

Photo: Employee of the Month Stephanie Misner (center), with three of her students and Liverpool HS Site Supervisor Sharon Bean and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

Travonda Baker joined our Head Start program in April of 2023 as a Health Advocate at the Sumner site. Since then, she has consistently performed her duties very efficiently, and has shown a willingness to ask how she can be more effective. Travonda has also put in a great deal of additional effort in recent months while there has been a nurse vacancy in her building.

If you see Travonda today at Sumner, or tomorrow at our Staff Day event, be sure to congratulate our Employee of the Month for September 2024!

Photo: Employee of the Month Travonda Baker (center),with (L to R) Assistant Health Coordinator Toni Parkhurst, Health Coordinator Tammi Hatch, Classroom Specialist Tammy Bean, Site Supervisor Kelly Jensen, VP of Operations & Strategy Todd Goehle, and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

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.