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Meet the Farm to Early Care and Education Advisory Committee
Alesia is the Education, Training, and Development Coordinator with Albina Head Start, as well as a member of the Farm to Early Care and Education Advisory Committee. She coaches, trains, and mentors Head Start teachers and advocates for farm to early care and education programs.
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When I go into a classroom as a teacher, my goal is to introduce kids to as much as I possibly can. Because I want them to have those experiences, and they won’t know what they like or what they don’t like if they don’t know it exists.
I was like “Oh, okay, my own little light bulb moment!” Like how can I incorporate the teaching staff that I’m working with, and like making sure that I’m building them up as well, because their experiences are different than mine.
What drew you to work in early childhood care and education?
There’s very rarely any culturally relevant food. We work with a predominantly African-American population and the Hispanic population is right behind — there is nothing for them.
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I think finding teachers is a big challenge. No one wants to do all the work for very little pay. I’ve been doing nonstop onboarding. It’s been this constant cycle of bringing new folks in, and then folks leave.
Thank you to Alesia Higgins for sharing her time and wisdom as a member of the Farm to Early Childhood Education Advisory Committee.
All photos by Jason Hill at Wapato Island Farm