Champions of Change

Champions of Change Blog

  • Teaching Global Citizenship

    Posted by Jenny Buccos on July 6, 2012 at 1:21 PM EDT

    Jenny Buccos, chosen from a from a pool of more than 1,500 candidates nominated through the White House web site, was selected as a Champion of Change for the positive impact she is making in her community.

    It is an honor to be recognized as a White House Champion of Change for my work with ProjectExplorer.org promoting cross-cultural understanding. Over the last decade, I have been an advocate for global citizenship. I believe that global awareness is a critical 21st century skill, yet this topic is nearly absent from the national dialogue on education.

    My global education began in 2000, while travelling in Asia on assignment for an investment bank. I began to notice that most people have a wide variety of preconceived notions about other countries and cultures, particularly here in America where our culture, news, and discussions can be so inwardly focused. Experiencing a new country and culture first-hand and having my own beliefs challenged was a real awakening for me, and I wanted share that experience with as many people as possible. This experience and the months after 9/11 became the catalysts for founding ProjectExplorer.org.  Beginning in the winter of 2001, I spent several months observing the people around me become increasingly afraid of the world outside of America. As I listened to these conversations, I began to think about how developing a global awareness from a young age could change students’ interest in education by making what they learn in school more relevant, and could someday improve international relations by raising a generation of truly global citizens.

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  • Educare: A Catalyst for Change

    Posted by Caren Calhoun on June 22, 2012 at 2:17 PM EDT

    Caren Calhoun is being honored as a Champion of Change for her commitment to delivering on the promise of Head Start in her community, helping to educate and care for our youngest, most vulnerable children. 

    I am honored to be a part of the White House Champions of Change program. I truly feel that the children, families, staff and partners that I work with on a daily basis are really the change agents. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned in the last decade is that we cannot do this work alone and we don’t have all the answers. It truly does take a village to raise a child and that begins with strong relationships and a shared commitment to the mission at all levels of an organization.

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  • Investing Early in Our Children

    Posted by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton on June 18, 2012 at 1:30 PM EDT

    Dr. T. Berry Brazelton is being honored as a Champion of Change for his commitment to delivering on the promise of Head Start in his community, helping to educate and care for our youngest, most vulnerable children. 

    I am proud to be honored as a White House Champion of Change and thrilled to share this distinction with the men and women who put Head Start to work for all of our children every day. I want to thank President Obama and his administration for this recognition, and for doing so much for babies and young children. Nearly 50 years ago, I collaborated with Head Start’s founding fathers, Ed Zigler and Julius Richmond, to help build a comprehensive early education program giving every child a chance to make the American Dream come true, for that child, and for all of us. Today, thanks to the Obama administration, more children than ever are participating in Head Start, fulfilling the bipartisan vision backed by Republican and Democratic administrations alike. Science has shown that, as a result, these children will be significantly more likely to graduate from high school, enter college, stay out of trouble, join a globally competitive workforce, and serve as contributive members of our society.

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  • New Perspective and New Opportunities Through Head Start

    Posted by Lori Pittman on June 18, 2012 at 1:15 PM EDT

    Lori Pittman is being honored as a Champion of Change for her commitment to delivering on the promise of Head Start in her community, helping to educate and care for our youngest, most vulnerable children. 

    I am truly honored to be considered a Head Start leader and Champion of Change. In 1993, I was living in poverty with my husband and several young children. Luckily, my family had the opportunity to enroll in Head Start. The program literally changed my life. It gave me the skills, support, and confidence I needed to succeed. My Head Start program, Policy Council, and Head Start State Association experiences offered me a new perspective of myself as a leader, advocate and someone who is committed to creating opportunities for low-income parents to understand their voice and to gain skills that move them towards self-sufficiency. Because of my powerful Head Start experience I have dedicated my life to helping low-income parents get out of poverty and live up to their fullest potential.

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  • Engaging Children and Families in Building a Stronger America

    Posted by Roxanne Hiller on June 18, 2012 at 12:53 PM EDT

    Roxanne Hiller is being honored as a Champion of Change for her commitment to delivering on the promise of Head Start in her community, helping to educate and care for our youngest, most vulnerable children. 

    It is a great honor to be recognized as a Champion of Change for providing high quality services to children and families enrolled in the Head Start Program. I’ve committed myself to engaging children and families in constructing a stronger foundation both educationally and emotionally to better assist in building a stronger America.

    As a teacher trying to establish our future with the ability to embrace children’s love of learning and spark an interest in school, I’ve prided myself on individualizing for each student and finding a way to reach out to all children and their different development levels. I use a variety of curricula that promote higher levels of literacy and vocabulary. I provide hands on experiences, active participation and learning opportunities for each child, building a solid foundation of school readiness skills that sets them up for success throughout their school years.

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  • Building Better Futures for Children and Families

    Posted by Rory Sipp on June 18, 2012 at 12:46 PM EDT

    Rory Sipp is being honored as a Champion of Change for his commitment to delivering on the promise of Head Start in his community, helping to educate and care for our youngest, most vulnerable children. 

    Growing up I lived with my mother, my father, two older siblings and my grandparents, and I can truly say that I had the best experiences in life. Experiences that would be the foundation of the man I have become today. I don’t recall being exposed to a lot of extraneous stimuli and events like summer vacations or dining out, but I do recall being exposed to the notion that education, integrity, and working hard at becoming successful was an expectation.

    We weren’t the most affluent family, but our values and aspirations were rich and very ambitious. The men in my family were, and still are, hard-working citizens and the women in my family have always been brilliant, nurturing and supportive of their families and their communities. It was the brilliance in my parents that caused them to realize that Head Start would be an excellent experience for me. 

    It was this same brilliance that influenced me at a very difficult time in my life to reach out to my local Head Start program for the same support other members of my family could tap into. Not only am I a beneficiary of the wonders of Head Start, so are my son, my nieces and my nephews – they too are Head Start graduates. Just being a participant was not my final chapter in the book of Head Start. 

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