An Educator’s Journey

As a part of Educare Chicago’s 25^th Anniversary, we are sharing a series of blogs from leaders across Start Early and Educare Chicago in celebration of this milestone. Our second blog in the series features Educare Chicago’s school director, Danielle Jordan, and her personal journey with Educare Chicago. Read on to learn how the school has changed, adapted and grown during the years she has worked at the program and what she hopes for the future of the school.

My first job right out of college was working at a community-based program in Chicago. I was young, bright, well-versed in child development and was ready to dive into my new role. Unfortunately, we lost our funding, and the program closed without notice, which meant our families lost their services and the program staff, including myself, had our roles dissolved. I go to a church right around the corner from Educare Chicago and one of the members had grandchildren in the program. She told me about her experience with the school and how she thought it would be a great place for me. I ended up interviewing and, by the end of the process, I started my career with Educare Chicago as an education coordinator. I’ve now been with Educare Chicago for 16 years.

When I think of the future of Educare Chicago, I am very hopeful. I hope that we continue being a model program for quality education. I hope that we continue being a consistent resource for our families. I hope we recruit new educators, making sure our upcoming teachers know the greatness of the work and feel the satisfaction of being an educator and family advocate. I hope that we continue connecting and engaging with our community. The biggest pie in the sky hope and dream for me is that Educare can continue to live on many years after me and that we inspire the next generation of teachers. One young lady interviewed at the school because of her very first experience with the wonderful Miss Brenda Smith, who passed away this year. She remembered everything that Miss Smith taught her when she was only four years old; that is a huge lasting impact. It’s a reminder that even when we are no longer here, the work can be carried on. If we continue to listen to parents, invest in professionals and spread what we learn together, there is no limit to the impact we can have.