By North Coast Opportunities

In 2015 Amber Alves was a new mom, working a minimum wage job at an alarm dispatcher company and supporting her husband through college. Her family just moved to Kelseyville, and she was looking for opportunities to socialize her three-year-old. A friend told her about the local North Coast Opportunities Head Start Child Development center. When she walked in that first day, Alves knew it would go a long way in preparing her child for kindergarten but didn’t realize it would change the trajectory of her professional career.

Head Start encourages parents to be involved in the program, and Alves seized the opportunity to volunteer in her child’s classroom. With her husband, she attended Healthy Families classes, where they met other parents and formed a social network. Parents noticed her dedication, and in 2016 they nominated her to serve on the Program Policy Council (PPC), the parent-led advisory board that oversees the program’s finances, policies, and direction.

The PPC reading material was sometimes intense, but it prepared her for what was next. In 2016 she quit her job and, with encouragement from a staff member who saw potential in her, took a position as a Head Start substitute teacher. Alves states that her experience on the PPC and with the staff she met as a volunteer provided the knowledge and confidence she needed to take the leap.

“I was super nervous, and they encouraged me by saying, ‘I think you were born to do this. You should pursue your education because you’re a natural,’” said Alves.

“Because we are an education program, bringing people into the field is part of our model,” said Miriam McNamara, Head Start program director. “The investment in staff and families begins on day one.”

Many Head Start positions require additional education to move up, so its employees have access to a tuition repayment program, paid work-release time to attend class, and a learning library of textbooks. 

Alves moved away after completing the 2016–2017 school year, but when she returned she became a Head Start classroom aide as she began her associate’s degree in early childhood education at Woodland College. After taking the necessary credits, she was promoted to assistant teacher.

A 2020–2021 employee survey found that 62 percent of staff stays with Head Start because they enjoy all aspects of the job, while 76 percent said working with children is what they enjoy most. 

“It’s not an easy job, but it’s so rewarding,” said McNamara. “We are boots on the ground during a child’s most critical period of brain development. We are one of the main resiliency factors for families and children experiencing childhood trauma.”

Anyone in the early childhood education field must have a love for children and their best interest at heart, yet 54 percent of Head Start employees reported that interacting with team members is what motivates them to come to work every day.

“They are the best mentors I’ve ever had,” said Alves. “They’ve helped me be a better teacher, a better mom. Of course, working with kids is rewarding; it’s fun to watch them grow throughout the school year with everything you’ve taught them.”

Next year, Alves will qualify for an advanced associate teacher position. While she eventually plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree, she’d like to wait until her children are a bit older.

“Maybe I’ll just move up in the company. You never know.”

To learn more about Head Start and to view career and volunteer opportunities, visit ncoheadstart.org.

North Coast Opportunities (NCO) is the Community Action Agency that serves Lake and Mendocino Counties as well as surrounding areas. NCO reacts and adjusts to community needs, including disaster response and recovery. For more information, visit ncoinc.org or call 707-467-3200.