How did you first discover Head Start?

I discovered Head Start when I enrolled my children in a local elementary, a school that was next to the Admin office of All Kids Academy-Head Start in El Cajon of San Diego County.

What first drew you to work in early childhood education or Head Start?

As a mother and learning coach, I wanted to learn about ECE as a field and schooling system. That was seven years ago. I am addicted now and I have no intention to leave.

What was your first role in Head Start?

I was hired as a Classroom Instruction Aide (CIA) in January 2019.

How has your career grown or evolved since then?

It went PHENOMINAL. I am now an Early Head Start teacher with a Program Director Permit from the CTC of California and Human Rights Consultant certification from USIDHR-Washington DC. I also served as a Public Policy Maker at SDCOE since 2023.

Can you share a moment or experience in your career that deeply shaped your perspective on this work?

Indeed, every single learning moment with my Head Starters is worth celebration because it shapes me as a human being and as an ECE professional. However, I would say that there is a student I had who kept validating my emotions by telling me that I am the “Best Ms. Likaa EVER.”; such a sentenced inspired me to be the best version of myself since then.

How have the children and families you served influenced you personally or professionally?

My students and families inspires me to be there for them every day from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM; with perfect attendance records, ZERO injury statistics on campus, and joyful learning experiences.

What motivates you to continue this work today?

I am shaping the future of my nation; what more powerful role should I seek? None. I am in the right position on the right side of history.

How has Head Start shaped your values, leadership style, or career path?

Head Start was my first career in the United States. It has the exclusive right to claim me as an ECE professional and community leader.

Conscious Pathways Podcast 

CCRC – Early Educator Award Winner

My Students Walking for a Purpose

All Kids Academy -Recognition

Graduation (Every Smile Matters)

Early Years Conference

What impact do you hope your work has on children, families, or the Head Start community?

I dream of a world that is full with love, kindness, and opportunities that meet my Head Starters where they are and celebrates their differences as strengths and exceptionalities.

Looking back, what does “growing with Head Start” mean to you?

Growing with Head Start adds to who I am and this is very powerful.

How did you first discover Head Start?

I actually discovered Head Start because my baby brother was enrolled when he was three in Los Angeles, CA, where I grew up. I was 19 at the time, so there’s quite an age gap between us. I’ve always felt more like a mother figure than a sister. I saw firsthand the impact Head Start had, not just on my brother, but on my mom too. She built a community, made new mom friends, and I think she found a strength in herself that I hadn’t seen before.

What first drew you to work in early childhood education or Head Start?

After graduating high school in 2001, I thought I wanted to be a preschool or elementary school teacher, so I majored in ECE. But after completing my internship hours at a local preschool, I quickly realized that path wasn’t for me. Still, because of my family’s experience with Head Start, I had always admired the program. When I moved from LA to Arizona in 2015 planning to be a stay-at-home mom, I quickly realized that lifestyle wasn’t for me. I came across a posting for a Secretary of Special Projects with the Head Start program at Southwest Human Development and decided to apply and that’s how it all started.

What was your first role in Head Start?

Secretary of Special Projects.

How has your career grown or evolved since then?

I went from Secretary of Special Projects to a variety of different titles and ended with Data and Grant Systems Manager. While I’m no longer directly working within the Head Start program, I’m still at Southwest Human Development supporting our CEO in a different capacity. I’ve also stayed connected to Head Start through advocacy and board leadership with HSW and AZHSA. More than anything, Head Start inspired me to go back to school. In May 2025, I earned my AA in Social Work, and I’m currently working toward my bachelor’s degree. I truly don’t think I would have taken that step if it weren’t for Head Start.

Can you share a moment or experience in your career that deeply shaped your perspective on this work?

I had the pleasure of working closely with the Head Start Policy Council, and I can say without a doubt that it changed me. Growing up, I know my parents wanted to be more involved in my educational journey, but because of various barriers, there weren’t many opportunities for them beyond cheering me on from the sidelines. Being able to encourage parents to get involved in Head Start, partner with us through Policy Council, and truly see themselves as the leaders they are was incredibly rewarding. But more than anything, it meant so much to help create space for parents like my own, new to this country, not speaking the language, shy or afraid, to have a voice in their child’s education. The very first Policy Council recognition event I helped put together for the first cohort I worked with was overwhelming in the best way. It was inspiring, emotional, and deeply affirming. In that moment, I knew I would be a Head Start advocate for the rest of my life. Every parent deserves the opportunity to experience something like that.

How have the children and families you served influenced you personally or professionally?

While I didn’t work directly with children, I did work closely with families through Policy Council and they absolutely influenced me. They played a big role in my decision to go back to school. I wanted to grow in my role and give them my best. I’ve always said that family engagement is my jam, but I didn’t yet have the background or expertise to fully step into that work the way I wanted to. And I’m not someone who believes in half measures, passion alone wasn’t enough. Earning my AA in Social Work was meaningful not just as a personal accomplishment, but because it brought me one step closer to truly honoring the work I love and the families who inspired me to do it.

What motivates you to continue this work today?

What motivates me is knowing what Head Start represents for families. I’ve seen it through my own family, and I’ve seen it through the parents I’ve worked with. It’s not just a program, it’s access, opportunity, confidence, and community. Even though I’m no longer working directly within Head Start, I stay connected through advocacy and leadership because I believe in what it does at its core. I think about families like mine, and I know how important it is that programs like this continue to exist and grow. Being even a small part of that impact continues to motivate me.

How has Head Start shaped your values, leadership style, or career path?

Head Start has shaped me in more ways than I can probably put into words. It grounded me in the belief that families are their children’s first and most important teachers, and that our role is to partner with them not lead over them. It’s influenced my leadership style to be more human-centered, more collaborative, and more intentional about creating space for others to have a voice. My experience with Policy Council especially reinforced the importance of meeting people where they are and recognizing the strengths they already bring. Career-wise, Head Start pushed me to grow. It gave me the confidence to go back to school and invest in myself, and it helped me realize that the work I’m most passionate about is rooted in supporting families and community.

What impact do you hope your work has on children, families, or the Head Start community?

I hope my work helps families feel seen, valued, and empowered. If a parent walks away feeling more confident in their voice, more connected to their child’s education, or more willing to step into leadership that matters to me. For the Head Start community, I hope to contribute to keeping the heart of the program strong, centered on families, equity, and opportunity. And for children, even if my impact is indirect, I hope it shows up in stronger family engagement, because when families are supported, children thrive.

Looking back, what does “growing with Head Start” mean to you?

To me, “growing with Head Start” means that it wasn’t just a job or a program I was part of, it was something that grew me as a person. I first experienced it through my family, then through my work, and now through the way I continue to show up in advocacy and leadership. It helped shape how I see families, how I show up for others, and how I see myself. Head Start pushed me to grow in ways I didn’t expect, it gave me purpose, helped me find my voice, and even led me back to school. It challenged me to think differently about leadership, community, and the role we all play in supporting children and families. Growing with Head Start means that even as my role has changed, what it gave me has stayed with me. It’s something I carry with me in every space I’m in, and it will always be a part of who I am.

How did you first discover Head Start?

I was a student at the Head Start I work in, as my sister went there as well. When I became a teen mom I was familiar with Head Start and was able to get my daughter into Early Head Start at just 2 months old.

What first drew you to work in early childhood education or Head Start?

Being a teen parent and volunteering in the school helped me to want to get into the ECE field.

What was your first role in Head Start?

Student

How has your career grown or evolved since then?

My career has grown so much the past 13 years ago, I became a sub and after 2 months I was offered an early head start position I worked in the classroom and during the summer I worked in the home based program. After 3 years working in early head start I moved to head start for half a school year as an assistant teacher and left for almost 2 years to the school district. When I heard they were hiring for lead teachers I knew I wanted to go back the Head Start it was always my home I applied and became a lead teachers for over a year and then a family advocate position came open and I have now been an advocate for 8 years.

Can you share a moment or experience in your career that deeply shaped your perspective on this work?

Helping families has really been the best part of my career creating those connections and relationships with them.

How have the children and families you served influenced you personally or professionally?

The children and families have taught me to have empathy and be understanding.

What motivates you to continue this work today?

To help others, just like I was helped when I needed it the most.

How has Head Start shaped your values, leadership style, or career path?

It has shaped me to have empathy, understanding, patience, and have no judgment. Head Start has helped me grow as a leader and become more confident. I am pursuing my BA in ECE and hope that I can continue to grow within Head Start.

What impact do you hope your work has on children, families, or the Head Start community?

I hope that I can have a great impact on the children, families and community by continuing to advocate for Head Start and educating our community on the benefits of Head Start.

Looking back, what does “growing with Head Start” mean to you?

Growing with Head Start means to me is growing alongside the families I serve. It has helped me become stronger in my role, build meaningful relationships, and continue my education so I can better support others. Every day, I’m inspired to keep learning, give back to my community, and make a difference in the lives of children and their families.

Meet Founder & CEO of Kidz Koncierge LLC, Ebonie Hubbard, who brings a nontraditional, lived- experience-informed pathway through Head Start—from Teacher Assistant to regional Training, Technical Assistance, and program management in a large mega-grantee. She now partners with early learning programs to build humane, effective monitoring systems that ensure children and families receive consistent, high-quality, and equitable services. Here she shares:

– Nontraditional pathway into early childhood education, shaped by lived experience with instability, incarceration of a parent, and systems that felt punitive rather than supportive.
– Transformative entry into the field through a community college child development course, which provided language for lived experiences and reframed behavior, development, and environmental safety.
– Discovery of Head Start as a values-aligned system, where community care, family dignity, accountability, and comprehensive services were embedded into practice—not just rhetoric.
– Core personal mission, rooted in lived experience: ensuring children and families receive consistent, comprehensive, equitable services—and building systems that keep their promises.

Ebonie Hubbard shares: “I did not come to early childhood education through a traditional path. I grew up navigating instability, including having a father who was incarcerated, and learning early what it meant to survive in environments where safety, consistency, and protection were not guaranteed. As a young person, I often experienced systems as something you endured rather than something designed to support you. Children were expected to adapt, stay quiet, or figure it out on their own.”

My entry into early childhood accidentally began at a community college. I enrolled in a child development class without fully understanding how much it would change me. That class gave me language for things I had experienced: how children develop, how behavior is communication, and how environments can either protect children or put them at risk. It didn’t just teach me about children, it helped me understand my own story.

That class also made something else clear: I needed to escape my neighborhood and build a different future. So, I did something that still feels surreal when I say it out loud- I stood on a street corner with a sign asking for support so I could get to a four year university. People stopped. People listened. And people gave. Their generosity helped me take the next step toward higher education, and it’s a moment I carry with me because it reminds me that community care can be real and immediate.

When I found Head Start, it was the first time I saw that same value, community care, built into a system. Head Start didn’t just talk about supporting children and families; it operationalized that support through comprehensive services, family partnership, and accountability. It gave structure to what I had come to believe: that children deserve stability, families deserve dignity, and staff deserve clarity and systems that help them succeed.

Head Start also gave me a pathway to grow. I was able to matriculate through Head Start roles over time, starting as a Teacher Assistant, then becoming a teacher, then moving into leadership as a Site Supervisor and Supervisor. As my scope expanded, I moved into monitoring work and deepened my understanding of how systems, quality, compliance, and daily practice intersect. That eventually led to working in Training & Technical Assistance for Region IX Office of Head Start and later serving as a program Manager within a large, “mega-grantee” environment where the stakes were high and the need for clear, sustainable systems was constant.

Across every role, Head Start shaped how I understand monitoring: not as punishment, but as protection, ensuring programs reliably deliver what they promise, children are safe and supported, and staff are not left guessing what matters or what happens next. I’ve seen how fear and confusion decrease when monitoring is clear, humane, and embedded into strong operating systems.

Today, I carry those lessons forward as the Founder & CEO of Kidz Koncierge LLC. I support Head Start and early learning programs in strengthening monitoring systems, building staff capacity, and moving from compliance anxiety to confident, sustainable practice.

At the core of all of this is something deeply personal: ensuring children and families receive what we promised them – high quality services that are consistent, comprehensive, and equitable. That is what I needed as a child. And it has become my life’s work to help build the kinds of systems that promise real.

We are excited to introduce you to Jessica Roenfeldt Harper, M.Ed.  In her career journey three key takeaways rise to the top: 

1. Purpose anchored in values leads to lasting impact -From discovering Head Start in college to choosing roles that aligned with your beliefs, your career decisions were guided by values, not titles. That alignment is what sustained your passion and gave your work deeper meaning over time.

2. Relationships with families were transformative—on both sides
The families you served didn’t just benefit from your work; they fundamentally shaped who you became. Witnessing parents overcome barriers and graduate alongside their children reinforced the power of Head Start and left a permanent imprint on your heart and approach to service.

3. Growth expanded your reach without losing your heart for the work – Moving from the classroom into monitoring wasn’t a departure from teaching—it was an evolution. You carried the faces, stories, and lessons from your early years with you, using them to support even more families and educators while staying deeply connected to the mission.

Here is her Head Start story in her own words:

I started as an Associate EHS Teacher after graduating from college. I learned about Head Start while going to school and felt it aligned well with my personal values. After a couple years as an AT I was promoted to Lead Toddler Teacher (LTT). I will never forget the families I worked with during those years. Many of them enrolled into the program as single parents going to school, working multiple jobs, trying to improve their lives and their child’s life. By the time their child was graduating from Head Start, they were also graduating from school, which felt monumental. After some years, I then moved into the Head Start monitoring world because I wanted to reach and support more families and teachers.

I wish I could tell those families in my early teaching years, how much they impacted my life as Head Start did theirs. What started as a passion for education when I was a child, was truly set on fire by the families I met in my early years as a Head Start teacher. I see their faces in all the families I meet year after year. Though I only spent a year with them at a time, the memories and experiences I had with them will live in my heart forever. I am extremely grateful, and feel so humbled, and blessed each day that I am able to continue my work.