On June 17, we had the honor and were truly excited to explain to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about our story and successes, our remote educational offerings, and our partnership with the PSJA District. We were truly encouraged to point out the help we received from our wonderful and professional team and the extra help and subsidies received from Workforce Solutions. He was pleased to learn that our center has maintained its high quality and the parent’s trust throughout this pandemic mainly because we have followed all COVID-19 vaccination policies and guidelines. We proudly mentioned to him the fact that as a center, it was of grand importance to believe and trust in science in order to stay safe throughout this pandemic and not put any lives at risk in our center.
To begin his tour, he was welcomed by the director of one of our centers, Blanca Parra, and afterward, he visited the entire facility having the opportunity to see our educational offerings in action.
Miss Yvette Mancillas and Maricela Cortez as PSJA representatives witnessed how our Executive Director ,Macarena Chavez, explained to him how students who participate in the PSJA Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 Program gain important skills to prepare them for success in kinder and beyond and how the program is free for all 3- and 4-year-old children. Furthermore, being part of the Texas School Ready program allows our educators to professionally grow being coached and guided by Valentin Guerra who also accompanied us to the event.
Texas Rising Star is a quality rating and improvement system for Texas early childhood programs and being a 4 Star Texas Rising Star since 2017 hasn’t been an easy accomplishment but has given us the opportunity to receive additional support and funding provided by Workforce Solutions. Sandra Solis, Quality Initiatives Manager of Childcare, mentioned that only 72 centers were awarded with that recognition. One of the special moments of the event was when Miss Liz Feeney one of our parents expressed her gratitude toward Little School House and its staff for the invaluable help.
Secretary Becerra was also intrigued by the outstanding adherence to the Texas Minimum Standards which demonstrates commitment and discipline which allows us to provide a stimulating and nurturing environment that encourages learning and growth. Furthermore, he took the time to listen to our children, staff and parents.
At the end of the meeting, he pointed out to the Onsite Director, Yuliana Brambila,
“you can notice when kids are treated well and with respect”. A complete list of all the Professional Development provided on a weekly basis to our Staff by M.Ed. Macarena Chavez was handed to Secretary Becerra as proof of our commitment to the COVID-19 battle as well as the special emphasis that we have given to social-emotional wellness of the staff and children.
Having our certification as emotional education facilitators by “CREO Educación Integral” has given us the knowledge and capability to help students cope with a difficult year. He was thankful to our staff for their commitment to the student’s emotional wellbeing, and he demonstrated special interest in our special Summer Camp program “Amo mis emociones”, designed by Sonia Campos, our Director of Academics.
We felt beholden with Secretary Becerra for taking the time to visit Little School House Learning Center to learn about our story and how we have operated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes me the fondest of Secretary Becerra is his interest in educator’s opinion in order to gather information from those who have experience in that area so that he can make very informed and reliable decisions and his ability to listen to our concerns and take some of our requests to keep working for Early Childhood Education.
Look at our Facebook album for more picture of this wonderful event.
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