Celebrating Our Incredible Staff

This page celebrates our incredible team members who consistently go the extra mile every single day. From building meaningful relationships with students to inspiring growth and creating a positive impact in the community, our team defines what excellence truly looks like. We’re honored to showcase your hard work, passion, and unwavering dedication to making a difference. Your adaptability and commitment to excellence are the driving forces behind our success. Each week, as we visit centers, we’ll be on the lookout for opportunities to spotlight the amazing things you are doing!

From Mr. Brown's Desk:

Shout out to all center level staff for the job well dob preparing for the first day of school. It took us all working together to help things go smoothly!

Mr. James Wideman (Greenwood), Mr. Oscar Simpkins, and Mr. Tommy Wideman (McCormick):  Shout out for ensuring buses were taken for maintenance. 

From Mrs. Baldwin's Desk:

Shout out to ALL teachers for making the first day of school look so easy and calm. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

From Mrs. Maduako's Desk:

  • Ms. Crystal Griffin and Ms. Sandra Sanders – Greenwood: Thank you for ensuring your classroom parent board is complete, neat, and well-organized!
  • McCormick Head Start: Thank you for going above and beyond to ensure your Parent Orientation and Back-to-School Bash ran smoothly! The strong relationships you have built with your community partners are impressive and unmatched. Your commitment to collaboration makes a meaningful difference for the children and families you serve!
  • Ms. Gail Martin, Ms. Jessica Muldrow, and Ms. Joanne Speight – McCormick: Thank you for being sensitive and culturally responsive while assisting a family with limited English proficiency. Your patience and willingness to provide additional support helped the family feel welcomed, valued, and included during Parent Orientation.
  • Ms. Lawanda Paul – Abbeville: Congratulations on achieving 100% parent enrollment in ReadyRosie and engaging families in participation from the very first day of school!
  • Ms. T’Andria, Ms. Watson, and Ms. Tucker-Greenwood: Thank you for going above and beyond with your classroom theme and creatively incorporating it into classroom learning. Your efforts have made the learning environment trendy, engaging, and exciting for the children and families!
  • Ms. Stephanie Jones – Greenwood: Thank you for always being willing to lend a helping hand and share valuable insight on providing quality family engagement services. Your support and expertise are greatly appreciated!
  • Ms. Melissa – Greenwood: Thank you for always being willing to assist and volunteer and for bringing such excitement and enthusiasm to your family engagement ideas. Your passion for family engagement is part of what makes our services superior. Thank you!
  • Ms. Stephanie Jones – Greenwood, Ms. Sabrina Fair – Abbeville, and Ms. Yolanda Gause – Pineview: Thank you for assisting with the case worker pre-service training. Your willingness to step in, share your knowledge, and help make the training a success is sincerely appreciated!
  • Ms. Latanya Harps-Edgefield: Thank you for your exceptional attention to detail and dedication to ensuring every family receives the best possible experience as they prepare to begin their Head Start journey!
  • Greenwood Kitchen Staff: Thank you for exemplifying outstanding teamwork, enthusiasm, and passion on the first day of school as you worked together to nourish our future generation!

Thank you all for your dedication, teamwork, and commitment to supporting our children and families. Your hard work does not go unnoticed!

From Dr. Barksdale and Mr. Brown:

  • Platt Springs:Thank you for fostering community involvement at our Open House and Parent Orientation events! Students and parents alike had a fantastic time interacting with the firefighters and exploring the fire truck.
  • Sanders: Thank you for welcoming families with a positive and kind demeanor. Shout out to Ms. Green for providing deliciously prepared meals for families during Open House and Parent Orientation.

From Dr. Barksdale and Mrs. Wright:

  • Abbeville: Thank you for taking the time to make your building warm and inviting for families. We truly appreciated the thoughtful addition to the awning. Your building was perfectly prepared for the First Day of School!
  • McCormick: Shout out for making students feel welcomed. Students were very comfortable in their classroom. They were engaged in song and really enjoyed the activities. 
  • Greenwood: Shout out to the remarkable display of community involvement and engagement at the Center during the Open House and Parent Orientation. Families had access to a wealth of meaningful resources designed to foster connection and engagement. Shout out to all classroom staff for ensuring all classrooms were organized and engagingly decorated to welcome families.

From Mr. Forrest's Desk:

  • Mr. Lynn Williams (Rikard): Thank you for creating a plan to manage student arrivals on the first day of school amidst the ongoing construction.
  • Mr. Joseph Toland (Rikard), Mr. Carlos Carroll (Greenwood), Mr.  Ricky (Bubba) Templeton (Greenwood), Mr. Marcus Mathias (Sanders), and Mr. Willie Reid (Abbeville): Thank you for working together to ensure the Rikard Center was cleaned and ready to welcome students. 

From Ms. Adams' Desk:

A huge shout-out to Lexington Head Start Center for doing an AMAZING job during the Parent Orientation and Back-to-School Bash!

Your team was very detailed, organized, informative, and engaging throughout the event. I especially want to recognize the wonderful interaction with the children! The staff took the time to connect with the children, make them feel welcomed and comfortable, and create a fun and positive experience for them.

Your attention to detail, dedication to families, and genuine care for the children truly stood out. Thank you for helping make the back-to-school experience exciting, meaningful, and successful for everyone!