As a mother and educator, Emelda Jones knows the importance of high-quality child care and early education. When her maternity leave ended in 2020, she was tasked with finding a safe and nurturing child care center for her child. Parents want to have confidence that their children are receiving the proper support from early educators during that crucial time in their social and emotional
development. In her story, she walks through her search to find a program that aligned with her vision of a safe, structured, nurturing learning environment for her son, while being a source of support and collaboration for the parents. She reminds us that children are the next leaders of this world, and they deserve passionate educators who center the unique needs of each individual child and family.