Mon, 11/6/2017
By Alecia Jackson, M.Ed.
Director Early Education Division, Assistant Director Human Services Department, Maricopa County
I have long believed that an important power of the Head Start program is the dual focus on children and families—helping both children and their parents be successful. And part of that pathway for parents is a fulltime job with a livable wage.
However, as an administrator of a Head Start program here in Arizona’s Maricopa County, I faced head-on a stunning limitation: Trying to go beyond our grant’s mandates to help parents deal with multi-faceted employment issues on their journey to economic security. Time after time I have witnessed:
A parent stuck in a low-paying job because they lack the skills and abilities to qualify for a better paying job.
A parent stuck in a dead-end job because they lack knowledge about career pathways in high demand fields.
A parent stuck in unemployment because they can’t afford care for their children for the full working day
Year-after-year observing these unmet needs has been frustrating. All over the United States, in fact, people doing my kind of work face these same kind of problem. Fortunately, this profound need for a wrap-around, two-generational approach to supporting under-privileged families has been realized by philanthropic organizations such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation...
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Categories: Our Voice Tags: Alecia Jackson, Arizona, Employment, Families, head start, Maricopa, Parents
