I am absolutely thrilled to be the Executive Director for Child Start Incorporated! I know that over time you will all get to know me, but I want to take a moment now to give you a glimpse into who this Head Start graduate really is. Simply stated, I am a servant. I joined the Air Force in 1989
because I wanted to serve my country. I joined the Policy Council for Head Start in 1997 as a parent because I wanted to serve as a role model for other men and show them the importance of a father’s influence in the total development of our children. I joined the Board of Directors for Child Start Inc during its inception in 2000 because I wanted to better serve the agency as one of its leaders. I have joined Child Start Inc as the Executive Director because I want to more directly serve our children, their families and our communities through our employees. I believe an organization is only as good as the individual and collective effort, proficiency, dedication and passion of its employees. When we become masters at what we do, we truly serve our children. When we serve our children we serve the world, for our children are our future.
Our Mission Statement:
Child Start Inc. is committed to delivering early education and comprehensive services to families with young children in the spirit of family focus, self-worth, and shared decision-making in response to community need.
- We create partnerships with parents and public, private, and corporate entities to promote social, economic, and intellectual growth for families.
- Our vision is to promote community change that values each child and family in their diversity and supports them with dignity, pride, and compassion
I feel it is important to include our mission statement and vision here because my expectations and direction for this agency are directly tied to both. We can best deliver early education and comprehensive services, create partnerships and promote community change by recognizing our own areas of strength and weakness as we carry out these functions. I spoke earlier about becoming “masters at what we do.” I expect all Child Start employees to become proficient enough in our jobs that we are known as subject matter experts. Every employee should give serious thought into what it takes to become a subject matter expert. I can tell you that it involves having a plan and that plan should include training, training, and more training. We must have a plan to implement and use the training or we have wasted our time and agency dollars. I believe Child Start Inc. employees should consider selecting a mentor to help teach or enhance leadership skills. Many Child Start employees are already exceptional at what they do. I would like to see those employees teach others inside and outside of our agency.
Internal and external professionalism at all times is expected from every Child Start employee. We are all role models to children, parents, peers, partners and communities. We must always remember that professional behavior sets the tone for professional relationships.
If you would like to talk with Grayland he can be reached at 707 252-8931 or email him at ghilt@childstartinc.org
Proficiency and professionalism are key components of expansion. I believe Child Start Inc. must expand and look into other ways of carrying out the Agency’s mission if we are to remain great at delivering quality services and programs. I know that expansion means change and change is scary for some people. Believe it or not, riding on a rollercoaster is also scary for some people. Think about that ride: The fear comes from knowing the rollercoaster will go very fast; it will be far from the safety of the ground; your body will shake as you go into each curve and you don’t actually know when the ride will slow down or come to a complete stop. When it does stop, you realize your heart is really racing, but you’re still alive. You realize that you were afraid, but you conquered your fear by stepping onto the ride. You didn’t know what the actual outcome would be, but you felt comfortable that you were taking a calculated risk of surviving. Finally, you realize that although it was scary, it was also fun! This is expansion. Our hearts will race, we will conquer our fears, we will take calculated risks, we will have fun and we will survive…together!
Respectfully,
Grayland Hilt
Executive Director