By: Erin Smith
What does it take to be a strong family advocate? Gwen Williams would be a good one to ask as she recently received the 2015 Family Advocate of the Year Award from Head Start.
“I cried. It was a real good feeling,” said Williams of the award.
She added that she did not initially expect to receive the award. Ironically, Williams said she typed her narrative in 2005 and saved it on her computer but decided not to submit it at that time. Recently, Williams said that she was encouraged to submit her narrative for the award. After giving it some thought, Williams said she located the original draft from 2005, and finished it up and gathered her three letters of recommendation and submitted it.
Williams said she still didn’t think she would receive the award as there were many advocates from other Head Start programs all submitting their information. William said she won at the agency level and then advanced to the state level where she won the state award for 2015.
She said receiving the award validated the hard work and long hours she spends working with the families of the students enrolled at the Baltimore Center Head Start in Council. Williams said that she works with the families who bring their children to the head start program.
“We help the children to get services and help the family to understand why their children need those services,” said Williams.
She said sometimes when a child is identified as needing a particular service, the parents worry that their child is being labeled. Williams said that she works with the parents to help them to understand why it is important that their child have help with their speech or their vision before starting into pre-school or kindergarten.
Williams pointed out, for example, if a child is having difficulty with their speech and cannot verbally articulate their needs and the teacher cannot understand the child; it can impact their ability to learn when they reach kindergarten.
Williams said she also works with parents to help them to understand the importance of being involved in their child’s education. She said it is important for parents to know and understand that the more they are involved in their child’s education, the more the student is interested in doing the class work.
“Children that have parental support tend to perform better in school,” said Williams.
She clearly enjoys her work at the Baltimore Center Head Start.
“Every day it is something different,” said Williams.
She has served in nearly every capacity there is in the Head Start center. She began as a Head Start parent, then a parent volunteer. William said she has also worked in the kitchen, and moved into the position of family advocate.
Williams is a member of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Wilmington and is married to Perry Williams.
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