The word community is a very powerful and meaningful one for me. You can be a part of a community at your church, in your school, or in your workplace. You can build community among your neighbors or while coming together as a group around the same issue such as early education and child care.
Heather Stark is the director and owner of JVT’s Place, a Christian-based, licensed group home in the heart of Carthage that serves 20 children. She and her beloved husband, Steve, have been married for three and a half years, and they recently welcomed their first baby girl in May. Heather says, “Being a mom is
Sydney Bridger is a mom from Saint Joseph. She is currently an early childhood care and education professional working for Easterseals Midwest. Sydney has always had an immense passion for advocacy, especially when it comes to helping other parents navigate early childhood services and systems. Through engaging with her legislators and other parents and professionals
Rachel Allison is a dedicated provider from Rolla, Missouri, who is passionate about advocating for children. She has been actively involved in advocating for her own children and the children she serves. Rachel began her advocacy journey with Kids Win during their Provider and Parent Fellowship in 2022. Her commitment and passion to the children
I’ve lived in Kansas City since 2014 and I had no idea this city would capture my heart the way that it has. KC is such a hidden gem that has the mission/common goal to advance the quality of life for all families in the area. Serving in education and advocacy for almost ten years
Megan Flowers is a caretaker/foster parent from Scott City, MO. As a parent/guardian who herself has worked in early care and education through Head Start, Megan knows the importance of quality when it comes to early childhood programs and child care. Her perspective as a foster parent offers a unique look at how the needs
Ellie Richter is from St. Charles and has worked as an Early Childhood Language Pathologist for 13 years. Now a mom to a five year-old son, Ellie is using her professional and personal passion for quality early care and education to serve as an effective advocate for children and families, and is determined to elevate
I once attended an all day training for Directors of childcare centers within our community and I heard someone say that they hadn’t figured out how to combine their professional mission with their personal mission and that they were looking forward to figuring out how to do that.That stuck with me! I hadn’t even thought
Mariah Roady’s journey into ECE advocacy started when her daughter was born, and she suddenly had a lot of questions around finding appropriate and affordable child care for her family. At home in Kansas City with her family, Mariah now serves as the Development Director at a high-quality early learning center, earlystART, and has the
Lisa Scheer is the Director of Baden Christian Child Care Center in St. Louis, Missouri and knows the importance of nurturing, caring adults in the life of children, particularly after overcoming obstacles in her own childhood. Read her amazing advocacy journey below. How did you become an advocate for ECE? I became more vocal as
