Recognition comes during Region IV Head Start Association Awards Gala
Children First, “a nationally recognized nonprofit delivering high-quality early childhood education and family strengthening programs,” announced this week that “two members of its community were honored at the Region IV Head Start Association Awards Gala” on Feb. 11.
The event was held in Atlanta, the association’s Facebook page notes.
Region IV comprises eight states across the Southeastern U.S., a news release explains.
“At the regional level, Brigette Davis, associate director of Head Start, and Kacie Hull, a Children First educator and parent, were honored “following their advancement from Florida through a competitive, multi-phase awards process,” the release explains. Davis was named Region IV Administrator of the Year, while Hull received the Region IV Head Start Staff Scholarship, which recognizes “excellence in leadership, service, and commitment to children and families,” the release adds.
Davis has more than 30 years of Head Start experience, including over a decade with Children First, “where she leads workforce development and program quality initiatives, mentors staff pursuing postsecondary education, and advances systems that strengthen instructional excellence and long-term career pathways,” the release notes.
“Hull is a longtime Children First educator and Head Start parent with more than a decade of service,” the release says. She was recognized “for creating nurturing and inclusive classroom environments, supporting children with developmental needs, building strong family partnerships, and pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education while balancing her role as a parent of three,” it adds.
“These regional honors followed recognition through the Florida Head Start Association,” the release notes. At the state level, Davis was named Administrator of the Year, Hull received the Head Start Staff Scholarship, “and J’Myia Wright, a Children First parent, was awarded the Head Start Parent Scholarship for her commitment to strengthening her family’s future through education,” the release says.
Founded in 1961 and ranked in the top 1% out of more than 1,600 Head Starts nationwide, “Children First strengthens children and families by improving the quality of their lives through a comprehensive approach to development, education, health, and well-being,” the release explains. “Through Children First,” the release says, “the children receive the social and cognitive skills needed to enter kindergarten and elementary school on track.”
For more information, call(941-953-3877 or go to childrenfirst.net.