From Volunteer to Fully Credentialed

posted 4/30/24 -- Ivelisse Rivera knew the environment at Hopkins-Locke Head Start before she was hired two years ago as a Family Service Assistant.

With both her parents working in education, volunteering at Hopkins-Locke as a teenager naturally led to working at the Head Start Center.

“I have always wanted to help the community and families,” Rivera said. “Working here as an FSA has helped me do just that.”

Rivera is one of more than a dozen LCCAA Head Start employees to earn their Child Development Associate credential in recent months. The CDA is considered the foundational credential in the profession of early childhood education.

Rivera is grateful for the support of her coworkers.

“Even if they were also working on their CDA they gave me support and helped me as much as they could,” she said. “Children seem to warm up to me quickly so this will help me help them learn and grow and hopefully make a difference in their young lives.”