Jessica Baker is a mom of 2, mental health therapist and ECE advocate from Palmyra. She came to her journey of ECE advocacy as a participant in the Missouri Parents as Teachers program with her two children. Read Jessica’s story below! How did you become an advocate for early childhood education? I became an advocate
Sarah Gould is a passionate ECE provider, advocate, and most importantly, mom, from Joplin, Missouri. Her journey into the space of ECE advocacy started with her own journey into young motherhood, where she learned the struggles to self-sufficiency firsthand, and has since made a career of helping other families navigate their own path to self-sufficiency.
Dona Leah Hamilton is a mother of two turned child care provider from Sedalia, Missouri. After struggling to find quality child care options in her rural community for her own children, she took the leap to start caring for children in her home. Dona is now working to advocate so that all Missouri children have
Tiffany Brinton tries to help her kids enter kindergarten One Step Ahead in St. Joseph, Missouri. Her facility, One Step Ahead Early Learning Center, provides high-quality, comprehensive child care and early education for children from 6 weeks through school age. After serving in the field as an owner and director for many years, Tiffany is
Kayla Marmaud is mom of two – 11 and 1 – from St. Joseph, Missouri. She found herself a firsthand case of not being able to return to the workplace due to challenges finding child care when her youngest was born, and has now turned into an advocate for all families in Missouri to have
After spending decades working in the public school system, Co. Pastor of Tabernacle of Grace Ministry Betty Dudley realized a need in her community and opened her Group Home child care, McDudley Care LLC. Betty takes great pride in serving children and families in her community of Columbia, and talks about the care and support
Meet Amy McDonald, ECE advocate and foster mom champion! Her work in ECE is centered around support families and providing resources to unify families.
Meet Kelly Raines, Provider Leader, Kansas City resident, and founder & owner of Birdsall House. Kelly started Birdsall House after 30 years in the ECE field with the goal of respecting families, children and caregivers. Birdsall House started as a family care center and has grown into a group home caring for 16 children. They are in the process of building a new
Niadu Allen is the legal guardian and champion of her four grandchildren. She serves as a leader in the healthcare field in St. Louis, and understands the importance of accessible, high quality child care. Read more below on her radiating story of resilience & advocacy! Why did you become an advocate for early childhood education? After the
Linda Rallo, Vice President and Director of Policy, Aligned Last week, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry convened its annual Workforce 2030 conference. Ted Abernathy, the managing partner of Economic Leadership, addressed the packed room with a rather sobering outlook for Missouri’s labor market. He remarked that too few workers and record-low unemployment make
