 Um, my children attended the LBVC in the law practice, and now my son is attending Carpenter, which is also a part of the program in law practice. I'm just going to give you a little bit of background for now. Um, I'm Head Surveyor from Carpenter County. I have four children, three of which of all attended the LBVC, and I'm also attending Carpenter. I have my oldest who is 13. He is a disability. He's got a master's degree in law teaching, so I'm going to call him near me. Um, I was first introduced through two minutes of our program. Um, I was a little nervous at first because of his disability to allow others to take care of him after high school days. But the staff and the kids that were here with him seemed to be understanding and protected of his disabilities. They did not drop him or make him feel uncomfortable. So that was very appreciated. Um, my second child attended there also, and he is now 10. Um, I wasn't too involved with the Head Surveyor program in my two albums. As I remember, I was going to school to learn how to take care of my own sister, so I didn't have much time in between. With my third child who is now in the program, I become more aware of the benefits that they provide. Um, I attended more of the parent meetings. I, um, I was voted president of the board of the OCDC and parent committee, which got me more involved in activities than my second child. Um, I learned a lot from them. They showed me how to help my kids learn to be emotional, social, and with their education. So I think they learned a lot from taking time out to show me things that I was unaware that they could do for us. Um, my youngest son is kind of my motivation right now because he gets overly excited to know that I'm interested in what goes on with his education. Um, the Head Start program gives him like a kick into school. So he's a little more advanced than some of my relatives' children who haven't attended Head Start. He's just instantly leading to a regular ISD. Um, through him I've noticed how the teachers take the time to do individual activities with them. Um, if the child is not understanding correctly, the teachers take the time to help them get on the level they should be on. Um, they've helped him set the scheme as well as mine. Um, sorry. With the program, we did parent activities with my child. One of the things I could do with him at home as well as my children. Um, the program offered education for myself as well as my child. And that was something that I wouldn't have got if I went through just the ISD itself. Um, him being a part of it, I guess, makes me look forward to my daughter becoming a part of it. I have a two month old daughter and I kind of can't wait for her to really get into the program as well. Um, I joined the policy council for the Head Start program. I'm now a secretary for it. Um, through policy council, it involves the parents more. And lets the parents know that we do have a voice. We can hear. If we see something or we know that something is being done that could be improved, you have a chance to speak on it. Um, the policy council is very welcoming. They look like to get outside and put off of how the program is working for you and your family. They offer different activities for the parents as well as the children. Um, they go into detail with the parents to let them know exactly what the funds are being used for at each facility. Um, they give you the opportunities to volunteer at the facilities to help with your child to get more involved in their education. And it's just someone to speak up for your child. They taught me that being a parent, you are the child's first teacher. So, you and your child use the motivation and the encouragement to continue their education in the positive way. And it only took me four steps which was to apply to, uh, continue with my son's education and spread the word. If you don't apply to spread the word and people don't know that there are programs out there that can help your kids get in and start their learning. Something like that. I have two. Um, right now, for this one, it has a little bit of me. I'm an entire childhood and my teenagers, I lived in New York, Mexico. So, I identified myself more as a, yes, as a very basic Mexican. Um, the education was important. I was there because it was a very small town. Most of the children were still with me. I lived with my dad and mom, but with family, with uncle, aunt, or no one. It was like, you have to go to school because you're going to have a career like that. Since I was little, they had to work for us. Um, sadly. Um, and my experience, one of the things that you do is, uh, you go there. One of my biggest concerns is the fact that I have 10 of them in school. Because he's a freaky person. I'm a freaky person. It ends at 10 and a half. So, when I was about to write it, I was told by Head Start. I was told, oh, well, if you want to have a few hours to do other activities, you can learn more. You can go to Head Start and you can have a head start coordinator. And... And then I had to go to my son's education. I was like, oh, anyway, I had to go to a place where I could have my son, so I wouldn't have to go to the races. And, more than anything, I didn't lose my job. Because my job was from 8 to 5 and a half. And, uh, when I was talking to him, after the pre-k, my son passed away, which was Head Start's program. And, well, it went very well. The only thing I'm going to talk about with my work is, let me go out a little earlier, because being my mother, I was single for two years, and my work and being a support for the house is a little heavy, or very heavy. When you don't have this... someone who is always supporting you, like this strong hand, or someone who is strong, or someone where I told them, I was going to go to school, I had to go to higher education, but I didn't want to, I just wanted to go to school. My son already has... lives in another country with more opportunities. And, while I was in the program, I decided to start the meetings. Here, I was able to work with other people. I didn't have a job, and with that, I will get what I've always wanted. And on the first meeting, I liked it because we were like... here, we are Hispanic, in the English language. And I liked it because I think that we all identified ourselves and we were the same for our children, right? And talking to other people, they asked us, after the president, what are your responsibilities? Everyone, like, with fear, no one, no one wanted to participate, no one wanted me there. But, and it gave me more, if you want, I do it because it's something good for the future of your children. And also because we received training for having our parents' coordinator, but it gave me training before doing each meeting with the other parents. As president, right now, I can tell you that I'm very, very happy because to ask the questions, if you want, for example, in my center, I can do a part for example, in my center, it's the same, I'm very happy because I have had a lot of difficulties and they always come to me, I had that initiative of, ok, I'm going to give them my phone number and so they feel a little more trust, and that's what we do, that we try to give public information for the other parents. And that's what I started doing, talking to a mother, helping us with what the school is and not with the answers, but always with the person and she always gives us the answer, she gives us the phone number, she's always helping us. About my child, my mentality has changed a lot that I already have the same program as an extra program to help my child as an extra man, a step forward for the future of my child. There are also opportunities like the one you're giving me right now, I'm also working on it, as always, I get a little more into what it's like to have more education and also I really like the programs that offer us training, sometimes we do training that is more for the center of our school, although there are not many parents, but we count some of them for the time that they always try to accommodate their time to the time of the parents, like right now the last one that I had was the 5-year-old and another 2-year-old and my question was how in what way of your behavior of your behavior of your behavior that was something like being a mother or doing what is your task or what you do in the house, I found myself stressed and I thought that I could do it with the pain of crying and I ignored it about the comfort of the ones that helped me a lot with the exercises of what to do and the times to take me to the house and not only that, but also the coordinator of the family goes to the house this is something that I have never expected from the school, she goes to the house does activities with us also sees the environment and what can help and the same idea I asked her I fight a lot with my child to do her task I fight to do nothing in her name 5 times like 45 minutes and being there she provided me with the activity when she does her room she gives her best a wall of her favorite toy or the and it was she gave me her name her task is to fight, 10 minutes this is something very good that I learned from her and in front of how I feel how comfortable I am very uncomfortable and very happy because I say there I try to present myself to the mothers I like to tell them that as mothers of children they take us to school and in the center I also learned from that confidence that if I do something I like the school of the teacher of some things that I have that voice to express myself and I think that is what they have the right to finish the class and in a month if you are not comfortable speak it is the only way to change things if you think that you learned from that way speak and that is why I am very happy very grateful that they gave me this place to feel more comfortable and more than anything and in the schools that we do in our in our center also at the school most of them speak Spanish and I am very happy I like to speak more as friends but at the same time I also the mothers tell me what they are learning and I like it we try to transform it also they want that comfort to speak to me or if it is the president and they do what they do they are already understanding what we are working on is to keep more parents in what we also want to give them the parents because if they are not with parents the program does not work they have the option they decide who stays in the center who goes to the center from the teachers to those who work in the office and for that they asked me in this program my friends were I have a child of two years and we have a program called Early my location is not in the center but it is for children since the six weeks since the six weeks children have two and it has always been a fear like my father's family tells us we do not have because they are looking for a day we are here the majority of the problems are bad a mother said that she has been in school for two years so that she does not want to go to school she does not want to have her child at home she does not want her child to advance like my child I see that what is the school and besides that it is more advanced than other children like her cousin who has four or five and now you know that you have written a name but if you do not write and what it is right now it is being read because it is your role and you are surprised you have just been five years and you can already read and I tell you what I have been doing with the Hispanic community I did not know what to say right now instead of helping I was not helping and I am already in a program and I said I have been doing that not so much in my life like I said I have the language I do not know exactly the language I like to help other people and with this program there are many many more programs children's care programs for me to return to school which I will try to do in the next summer and after that hopefully I will have a career I have been working with the Hispanic community to help parents who are very early to send their children her name on the radio if you have any questions or any comments right now for either a panelist please stand up and say your name and provide your question or your comment we have a lot of time left still so we have about 25-30 minutes to discuss this issue I will comment I don't know it won't be better for me in the way but for me when I was born I was born and I have a total program I call the tutors and they will have a session later speaking no more about what is the total program but tell the lady that she wants to do something with her life we have the central office classes for adults but but I am a teacher I always used to think this parent is going to send me kids to school for us to babysit but I am listening to this lady as I said I want my child to learn a little more and I agree with that and now I see myself listening to this that's a good idea that's another way to look at it because some of the students that are out now in school they are lazy they don't want to do work they don't want to do space they don't want to do that so I say I am going to go to school and hopefully that will help so I appreciate you opening my eyes I always used to think I don't want to go to school and I see children going to school but now I am listening to this lady as I said I want my child to have more education and I agree with that but in this way your child will love school more because it's in Twitter getting some more information thank you I don't know if you can take that so I think that it's just coming to a sense that you're going to school and I think that if she's ready to go to school you're going to stop you're going to go to school because you've learned a lot from what you've said I think that if you can't get your hands up it's not that you're just going to go and drop them off they're ready to learn they're ready to take on their role and I really want to applaud them both because they've come along they both go with me but instead she has come to the position that she is now she has really flourished in her role she really takes leadership and goes to the school and she's been doing this to us at our policy council meetings it is implemented at the steps and the administration is not there all the time so we depend on the parents to let us know things that are working or not working and also to tell us the successes they're at the site because we like to hear that as well and with ECS this is her first year with the program and in this role and she took it on and she quickly stepped up to the plate and started the meetings and really getting the parents involved that center was the first first time we've been in that community and parents are really united and she took on that so I wanted to congratulate the two leaders who are here with her as it is about the training and she has been with us for many years and step by step she has heard the cost and really she is very dedicated to work all the information we have in our meetings of the policy council she takes it back to the centers and ensures that the employees are doing what they are doing the changes following the policies of the agency and also ECS this is the first year she is with this program because it is the first year that we are in her community and she took this role and she I am very proud of her with all the parents who were there and the leaders who are here as a community and that helped us a lot because we are very much in the centers depending a lot on the parents the leadership of the parents of the centers to help us to ensure that our services are of quality and we invite you to see a little bit more of our program because if we are from zero to five if we think that the education of the children starts first and as she said not so much to keep the children from going to school we always put the parents first and if the parents are the first teachers then we work with the parents with visits to the house inviting us to the center telling you that we are in the center of the community we are a program from zero to five so I appreciate her sentiment when it comes to you know some parents having that tough decision of sending their kids to school at a young age however we don't care as much as taking the kids from you we have parents participating we invite parents to participate in the center and at home do home visits to help the parents ensure that they are continuing the first and the best teacher for their child and that we are open doors we want them to be volunteering we want them to be inside our center so they can see how their child learns and also take it back I just want to thank the staff and the program director ourselves I get to learn a lot as well as my children my children they are eager to go to school they are eager to learn new things and a lot of the friends that make any good early kids go with them to appreciate and continue our work for the small town so they will know do great things with their friends so they are good with their social skills at an early age and for that without that program the opportunities the opportunities like this to go to other training to learn more things I think they have more programs to go to high school it is a very good opportunity and I say that if you have it in case you ask or ask me or I think you can ask people here it is not bad or not that kind of mentality that part of my family has it is not very early but it is never very early it is very early for everyone and also the more parents are involved in this program it is better because the parents are the first the main teachers I just want to say about two weeks ago and I think it is so important it is not easy to present from front of other parents because you all are experts but this issue of early childhood is so very important many of you already know this but it does show we put on evidence in our cases that we have done in the past showing how high quality early childhood can really help close up to 60% of the student achievement gap for parents and children who are English learners who are economically disadvantaged students and it is not just putting in an early childhood because anybody can take care of a child maybe not everybody but most people can take care of a child but it is helping those students learn the basic skills that they need so that they can then become successful in kindergarten first, second, third and really show those long term effects of really strong early childhood that just doesn't end in the schools but also continues at home so thank you all very much and if you can please sign up the forms we have a couple forms for you to sign here you can go ahead and turn the evaluations upside down on the table and I'll go ahead and pick those up but it's very important IDRA is a very professional organization they're very comprehensive and ally-focused they will read all of these evaluations so they can see what is great about the program and what might need to be improved so we can make this the best experience for you all so thank you all very much