Walla Walla parent named Parent Ambassador for Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP

December 12, 2011
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Walla Walla parent named Parent Ambassador for Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP

Walla Walla parent Nicole Gonzales was recently named Parent Ambassador for Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP. Gonzales is one of 22 parents selected statewide with only three from Eastern Washington.

Gonzales will represent the southeastern Washington region regarding early learning as well as learning advocacy skills. She is the first parent ambassador representing the Walla Walla program in many years, according to Kerri Coffman, district Director of Preschool Programs.

"This is an honor to have one of our parents chosen to join the ambassador team," Coffman said. "I am excited to watch Nicole grow in her leadership skills and feel she will become a voice in our community for early learning."

Goals of the Parent Ambassador Program:

Teach ambassadors about the legislative process
Train ambassadors how to educate, organize, and mobilize parents in their program
Give ambassadors the skills to advocate for themselves and their community
Help ambassadors serve as a liaison between a local program, WSA, and the larger early learning community
Ensure parents have a voice in policy making discussions and deliberations
Provide WSA and the ECEAP/Head Start community with a strong grassroots network that can help move positive policy proposals forward

Responsibilities of a Parent Ambassador

Each Parent Ambassador must be available to participate in two conference calls a month. These calls take place in the evening and are meant to share information and provide updates.
Each Parent Ambassador is expected to attend four face-to-face trainings put together by WSA.
Each Parent Ambassador must commit to provide teach backs at their policy council meetings and/or other parent meetings.
Each Parent Ambassador is expected to participate in the legislative process by advocating for ECEAP and Head Start at the state and federal levels.

Program Contact:
Kerri Coffman, Director of Preschool Programs
kcoffman@wwps.org
509 527-3066