"The teachers are phenomenal and exceptional. They’re very patient with the kids and very dedicated to their jobs. The overall team of associates are amazing people. My Y experience is awesome because it has allowed my little ones to learn faster than I imagined."
"The Y does so much for my kids; they have learned so many different skills that will prepare them for primary school."
"I was able to volunteer for a leadership position and take classes to better my life."
"I love that they really care about the students, getting them ready for kindergarten and helping them grow and learn new things during this hard time that we're going through right now. I'm able to email or call a teacher whenever I need assistance or there's an issue with my child. They make us feel like it's a family and are very, very helpful."
"Everyone is kind hearted, loving and very respectful. I'm glad to have excellent teachers who love their job and enjoy seeing and teaching kids every day. Thank you all for the excellent job that you do."
These comments are just a few of a seeming avalanche of effusive comments pouring into Listen 360 (our customer satisfaction tracker) from Y Head Start parents. Perhaps the most incredible thing about these comments (and not something that is immediately apparent) is that our Y Head Start programming is currently completely virtual! An acknowledged leader in early childhood education in "normal" times, our incredible Y Head start team wasted no time adjusting to the onset of the pandemic last March, reconfiguring everything they do to not just accommodate a virtual learning environment for young children, but also to imaginatively and compassionately make sure our Y Head Start families have as many resources as possible. Given that they are all at or below the federal poverty level, COVID has had a disproportionately harsh impact on Head Start families. As such, virtual learning was not the only major challenge on their plates.
Y Head Start teachers turned their living rooms into virtual classrooms and the entire team mobilized to keep in extra close contact with more than 1,000 Y Head Start families across central Maryland. Outreach has included up to three calls to each family per week, helping to assure families have access to vital resources like food (connecting them to Y food distribution in their neighborhoods), health care, technology, support for housing stability, and more. They helped families access low cost or free internet services through Comcast Internet Essentials, and provided loaner tablets for those trying to manage virtual school on their phones. The Y Head Start Health Advisory Board, a group of pediatricians, nutritionists, dentists, and public health officials, has also jumped in as only they can, helping our team develop strategies for limiting the impact of health disparities on these particularly vulnerable children and families.
I’m very inspired by the work that Amy Taylor, our VP of Y Head Start Operations, and her team of superheroes are doing every day. They deserve to be celebrated by all of us. It’s good to know that, based on a daily reading of our Listen 360 verbatims, lots of people are noticing!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland