Volunteering After 50: An Evening With ECSC Corps Members
“My background's in elementary education, and …as someone my age, to be able to go through the training and work with little kids, this is perfect.”
— Larry Kerr, ECSC Corps Member
In August, Corps Members and friends of Early Childhood Service Corps (ECSC) gathered in a backyard in Denver for dinner, live music, and time to catch up.
The group spanned every stage of the program. Some guests already work in Partner Site early childhood classrooms as Encore Educators and Classroom Volunteers. Some meet with preschool directors as Volunteer Business Advisors. Others are partway through the training program and haven't stepped into a classroom yet. The fall gathering gave everyone a chance to meet.
At the fall gathering, three Corps Members shared their thoughts on early childhood education and why it matters.
Meet Larry: Bringing a Teaching Career to Early Childhood Education
Larry Kerr is one of our newest Corps Members and is completing his training this fall. He spent years teaching young children, and he has kept at it since leaving the classroom. On the side, he makes short videos for kids about gratitude, honesty, and courage, featuring a lion puppet, and shares them on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
“I have a motto: teaching small kids good things,” he says.
He also thinks it matters who's in the room with young children. “I think sometimes it's good to have men in this as well as ladies,” Larry says. “It's just a good balance.”
Meet Toni: Supporting Preschool Directors Behind the Scenes
Toni LaTronica, a Volunteer Business Advisor, brings a different kind of experience: decades in early childhood programs, including guiding centers through Colorado Shines quality ratings and helping a program meet licensing requirements as it opened a second center. Much of Toni's support is practical. “A lot of times, it's helping programs deal with a parent that's having issues, or a child that's having issues, or a staff person,” Toni says.
“It’s always been a challenge, but staffing has gotten much more critical now,” Toni says. “It really helps programs when people can actually be in the classroom, as a qualified body.”
“What I like most about this program is that people are coming from all areas and bring a different skill set,” Toni adds. “It's a great opportunity to do a service for children and families. The early childhood field, and childcare in general, is in desperate need of people who can support them.”
Meet Jane: “The Kids Are the Biggest Hope”
Jane Houssiere, an Encore Educator, has advice for anyone who's on the fence.
“If you spend your day looking at the news and trying to understand a world that has changed so much since you were young, I'll tell you one thing that will make you feel so much better and more optimistic: sitting and talking to two-, three-, or four-year-olds,” she says. “Spend a few hours with them. I guarantee you'll have a better outlook on life.”
“The kids are the biggest hope,” Jane adds. “You just won't feel so gloomy.”
Curious whether ECSC is a good fit for you? Whether you’d like to teach, volunteer in a classroom, or put your business experience to work for a local preschool, we’d love to tell you more. Fill out a short form and a member of our team will reach out to answer your questions. There’s no commitment.
Prefer email? Write to us at recruiting@earlychildhoodservicecorps.org.
