TFC Highlights from the Field

Our team works hard every day to create opportunities for children, families, and educators to thrive. We recently took a moment to look back at some of our accomplishments and, of course, what makes us smile.

 

Ingrid Chivers, Bilingual Case Manager:

I feel extremely accomplished to see one of my longest clients successfully exit the program and thrive on her own. I also feel very accomplished to be part of the case management program’s growth and plans for the future.

Our team has been through so much since the pandemic and we felt that 2023 was our year! We walked into a new building and were able to open the doors to clients and offer a more comfortable space for them to enjoy. We also grew as teammates and became a family in many ways.

What made me smile in 2023 was seeing my teammates enjoy our new space and also work hard to serve our clients.

 

Jennifer York, Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist:

Every day I felt honored to walk into a classroom with the knowledge that, sometimes, just my presence and engagement could help a little one have a better day. These precious kiddos, with whom I am privileged to interact with daily, make me smile and help me have a better day.

Truly being considered a partner at my early education site feels like a major accomplishment for 2023. I love it when administrators and teachers see me as their biggest advocate, champion, and source of strength.

I love how we came together as a team, had difficult conversations, built trust in spades, and created a safe place where we support one another.

Sabrina Boyd, Parent Educator
My biggest accomplishment in 2023 was supplementing monthly themed events to the Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids program to expand positive and fun interactions between families and their children. Each event reinforced the evidenced-based curriculum, The Incredible Years, through teachable moments, experiential learning activities, cultural snacks, and gift bags.

The resiliency of parents to continue to attend programming during insurmountable times of difficulty amazes me. Parents were faced with the loss of jobs, home relocations, high utility bills, limited food access, hospitalization of their babies, and an imbalance of mental wellness – just to name a few traumatic circumstances. However, I smiled with them as we worked together to build a bright future for their babies. Their resilience is inspiring.

 

Emma Bart-Plange, Family Child Care Network Manager: 

In 2023, TFC’s Early Care and Education department launched a Staffed Family Child Care Network. A team dedicated to “All things Family Child Care,” this project provides services and resources to our community’s in-home providers. Ouradvisory council was formed, and we brainstormed ideas and opportunities to inform and guide the mission and vision of high-quality, sustainable family child care businesses supporting all families and children in our community.

The FCCN provided leadership and networking opportunities through the Community of Practice (COP) meetings. Professional development and business support for our Family Child Care Providers were offered through individual training, business series, and business coaching projects. 

I am so proud we have created a space for in-home (family) child care providers to connect, brainstorm and share ideas to support one another as well as enhance leadership skills. 

What makes me smile is seeing the excitement on the faces of providers when they are able to connect and form friendships with other providers, in what can feel like a very isolated career.

 

Jennifer Traffis, Start Young Director:

Start Young is proud of two of our teammates becoming CLASS observer certified. With Sandy certified in Toddler-CLASS, and Alexis in Toddler and Infant-CLASS, our capacity to support our Start Young providers grew exponentially last year.

We are also proud of earning our status as an ARPA grant recipient via the Unified Government. These funds allowed Start Young to give $500 wage bonuses to 190 teachers in 2023, for a total of $190,000 awarded to child care staff in Wyandotte County.

This amazing Start Young team makes me smile!

 

 

Jenny Brandt, Early Care and Education Director:

Our team worked together to roll out several new initiatives in 2023: The Family Child Care Network, Great Beginnings, Child Care Quality Initiatives, the Shared Service Network, the Trainer Pathway, and the Missouri Collaborative Networks – just to name a few. We also redirected all teacher training registration to our new ECE Hub Portal!

We are proud that we were able to create solutions that were helpful to providers in our community. Whether it was assisting them in finding professional development, applying for grant dollars, improving their craft, or connecting to other providers doing the same work as themselves, we are proud to have helped them. We are proud to have made a difference.

Seeing the smiles and feeling the energy from our providers at our big events including the Early Childhood Enrichment Festival, and The Fall Symposium made us smile the most in 2023.

 

Sabrina Boyd, Parent Educator:

My biggest accomplishment in 2023 was supplementing monthly themed events to the Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids program to expand positive and fun interactions between families and their children. Each event reinforced the evidenced-based curriculum, The Incredible Years, through teachable moments, experiential learning activities, cultural snacks, and gift bags.

The resiliency of parents to continue to attend programming during insurmountable times of difficulty amazes me. Parents were faced with the loss of jobs, home relocations, high utility bills, limited food access, hospitalization of their babies, and an imbalance of mental wellness – just to name a few traumatic circumstances. However, I smiled with them as we worked together to build a bright future for their babies. Their resilience is inspiring.