Mother of three Natorria Walker has a unique perspective on the Council’s Head Start programs. Not only have all three of her children experienced Head Start with the Council, but she is also one of our newest faces in the classroom, joining us as a Head Start teacher this year. Natorria says that having been both a parent and a teacher, she feels like she is better able to connect with parents and help them understand how Head Start can best assist their family.
Ms. Torri, as the kids call her, has always felt called to care for others. As the youngest of four children herself, Natorria was surrounded by nieces and nephews from a very young age. “I’ve always had a love for children,” she said. She began studying early childhood education in high school, which led her into the childcare field at age 17.
A few years and one daughter later, Natorria went back to school to expand on her passion for caring for others and entered the medical field. Things were going well for her, and she was able to expand her family with the addition of a son.
When her son turned two, Natorria began to reflect on her family’s experience with Head Start. “It can be a very [nerve-wracking] thing starting your child in care when they can barely communicate,” she said. “But instantly, everyone here became like family.”
Natorria points to the communication from staff members and the support her son received as major factors that made her comfortable as a parent. Her son’s teachers used a balanced approach, talking both about achievements and areas for improvement, to help Natorria receive the best resources for her son. He was tested for a suspected speech delay, but when that was not found to be an issue, play therapy was suggested, and it has been beneficial in helping him grow in the way that is best suited for him. “No matter what it is – if you are in need of anything – [the teachers] are going to find a way,” Natorria said.
Her experience with the Council inspired her to return to her true passion and what she really enjoyed doing—caring for children. “Community Action is going to go out of their way to help you, and I’ve always appreciated that, so I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. As Ms. Torri the Early Head Start teacher, Natorria feels she is back in her element.
“We don’t just watch the children. With Community Action, we’re teaching them. We are teaching each child something,” Natorria said. She has a greater appreciation for the work teachers do to manage different learning speeds, languages, and individual needs, and has been able to connect with her personal experience as a parent to help other parents take full advantage of all that Head Start has to offer.
Natorria’s son is headed into kindergarten now and her youngest daughter is working her way through Early Head Start. Their time with Community Action Council’s Head Start programs has shaped their family’s success and given Natorria a way to fulfill her calling.
To see Natorria’s official interview and learn more about Head Start and family issues, visit the Council’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/lexcommaction or download our Head Start-focused podcast Look Who’s Talking on the podcatcher of your choice.