February is Parent Recognition Month. Strengthening Families Washington, of the Department of Early Learning for Washington State, believes there is no better way to recognize a parent, grandparent, foster or adoptive parent than by acknowledging the numerous and impressive things they do to strengthen their family and those around them in their community.
Seattle's Child is proud to sponsor the Washington Unsung Hero Awards, recognizing our everyday heroes and honoring the important role caregivers play in children's lives. There are 28 nominees for the 28 days of February, and Seattle's Child will highlight each and every one.
Congratulations to the Unsung Hero for February 25: Alicia Jennings – Bremerton, WA:
Alicia enrolled in Early Head Start as a prenatal client with her middle child. While with us, she engaged in special needs services to boost her son's development skills following screenings that hinted at possible issues, before he moved into Head Start preschool, all the while working to stabilize a troubling home situation, which resulted in homelessness. She immediately enrolled her youngest child in Early Head Start, acknowledging the supportive strengths that came with partnering with her home visitor at the earliest stages of development of her child, all the while navigating homelessness. Under her own power, Alicia engaged in a Community Jobs program through our agency, which resulted in a position working in an early childhood education/family education program called "The Parenting Place," which is her "dream job" and is now working to complete her GED classes. She successfully obtained housing for herself and her children in a family shelter, and is on her way to stabilize her housing as she continues working on her personal and family goals.
Nominator: Renee Hernandez Greenfield & Patrece Frazier