A passion to serve: Head Start director has big plans for Fort Worth’s children

If Angela Lampkin seems especially at home in a children’s classroom, there’s a reason. It’s something she’s long felt was her calling in life — even before starting school herself as a youngster.

“I believe my passion to serve others began before I entered kindergarten. My late Aunt Flossie would always remind me of the time I spent as a preschooler in nursery school while visiting my grandmother and her in the summer,” Lampkin said. “They were working women, so they enrolled me in a local nursery school.

“My Aunt told me when they would come pick me up, I was always helping my classmates and being the teacher’s assistant rather than playing with toys or doing art. I enjoyed serving and being a facilitator of learning even back then. It’s surprising how even the youngest of children show us their interest and talents early on.”

Now, Lampkin spends her days bringing out that inspiration in young students like she once was. She was recently hired as the new Head Start director for Child Care Associates in Fort Worth.

Lampkin started her career in early learning and care in 1990 and has been charting a path of leadership in that space ever since.

“As a teenager, I knew I was called to do this work after spending a summer working with infants of teen moms. Although I was still a young kid myself with little work experience and no real knowledge of early childhood education, I experienced firsthand how my co-workers served those babies and supported their young moms,” Lampkin recalled.

“It was one of my most fulfilling experiences because I knew I was making a difference. I saw the connections I was making with the young mothers. As a result of this support we offered, most of these mothers finished their education while, as a parent, learning how to become their child’s first and primary educator.”

Illustrious career already

Lampkin comes to Fort Worth having a career that includes her leadership of Chicago and Milwaukee Educare Schools, a nationally recognized early education program launched by the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and Start Early. Her accomplishments further include earning multiple national accreditations through the National Association for the Education of Young Children and AdvanceEd, along with a graduate certificate in infant studies from the prestigious Erikson Institute in Chicago.

She was instrumental in starting a Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and under her leadership the program was a key partner with Milwaukee Public Schools in the implementation of a federal Early Reading First Grant.

CCA President and CEO Kara Waddell said Lampkin was recruited to lead and direct the $22 million program as she is one of the top talents in the U.S. in specialized programming that combines quality early education and whole child, whole family health and social services.

“Angela brings rich experience working with pregnant mothers and home visiting programs right at the time,” Waddell said. “CCA is excited to partner with our health community to ensure lower-income expectant mothers receive extra boosts of support for a healthy baby and mother. Recruiting Angela is a fantastic win for Fort Worth and for families.”

Born in raised in Milwaukee and having built her career there, Lampkin said she didn’t hesitate to relocate to Fort Worth as she noted CCA’s reputation precedes itself in the most positive of ways.

“My whole career has focused on early education and serving children and families. When I heard that an organization like Child Care Associates had a leadership opportunity that perfectly aligned with my interest and experience, I was all in,” she said. “I love CCA’s values and local vision to deliver on our promise to lead quality early education for every child, with every family, in every neighborhood.

“It’s a Cinderella moment for me — the shoe fits as I see my hopes, dreams, and passion for children, families, and the early educator workforce in the work of CCA in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Who wouldn’t want to work for an organization like CCA?”

FW challenges similar to others

Lampkin said Fort Worth is experiencing similar issues as other large cities across the United States. She stressed that communities have faced challenges that include access to affordable housing and child care, mental health and wellness services, and maternal and infant mortality, which was further challenged by the outbreak of COVID-19.

She said she sees many comparisons between Fort Worth and the Milwaukee area.

“I’m seeing firsthand how children under age 5, with challenging life experiences, arrive in our classrooms with behavioral challenges and social emotional needs,” she said. “Families in both cities are facing skyrocketing increases in household expenses, especially when it comes to rent. From what I have seen thus far, organizations and government officials in Fort Worth seem to be owning problems, coming together to identify solutions and coordinate resources to systematically address these problems.”

She addressed a national shortage of quality, affordable birth-to-age 3 early childhood services. She said knowing that CCA is working on improving this in Tarrant County was a major draw.

“I can’t overstate the tsunami effects of COVID on our early educator workforce. This community needs a 10-year plan of how we are going rebuild a strong corps of early educators,” she said.

Lampkin said her sleeves are already rolled up and she’s ready to begin hard work alongside her compratriots at CCA.

First, she plans to visit the partnerships CCA has with school districts and other local government and community agencies to expand quality 0-5 early learning services. She believes that, as much good work as they do, they can be strengthened, especially for low income families.

She’s also learning how Tarrant County and the city of Fort Worth have invested in expanding Early Head Start access by using some of the community’s federal relief funding to build new classrooms. As the Head Start and Early Head Start director, she’ll support the design of those spaces to ensure children have access to learning environments that meet or exceed the highest standards of quality.

She also plans to continue supporting the work of the Maternal and Infant Health Coalition that was recently convened by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker.

“It is critical that I learn how Early Head Start can better partner with maternal health clinics and pregnant mothers so that our community connects with expectant mothers early and often,” Lampkin said.

Lampkin said her goals include partnering with high schools to develop a plan to grow the early childhood workforce. She wants to explore how entry-level child-care certification or possibly child development associate coursework can be added to high school elective options using CCA campuses as intern sites.

“I also would like to explore opportunities with local colleges for alternative licensure programs, and site-based credential opportunities to advance educational levels of early childhood professionals,” she continued. “I look forward to working alongside the Blue Ribbon Action Committee on Child Care and North Texas partners to quantify the gap of early educators we are experiencing today and make sure we are doing our part in Head Start to help rebuild the workforce we’ll need in the decade ahead.”

She will also be supporting CCA campuses to achieve national accreditation through the NAEYC, a plan already in the works, and something she’s helped previous organizations achieve.

Family

Being a mom, Lampkin said she’s seen firsthand how quality early childhood has benefited her family.

“It encourages me to provide for others what I expected for my own family,” she said.

The move to Fort Worth comes at a special time for her and her husband Robert. They met 27 years ago while out with friends, shared a dance, and have been together ever since.

“That spark of love has now stood the test of time as we will celebrate our 25-year anniversary. Our little ones aren’t so small anymore,” she said.

They have two young adult children, Reagan and Rashad Lampkin, and are the step-parents of Jaccara Lampkins. Reagan is working on a public health degree at Lewisville University in Romeoville, Illinois, and Rashad is pursuing a marketing and sales degree at Illinois State University, where he is a running back on the football team. Jaccara is working in research at a university in Tennessee.

As for what the public can do to help advance the work of herself and CCA, Lampkin said it starts with putting children first.

“When we’re designing a park — what do children need? When we bring new industries to the community, what will families with young children need to be successful here?” she said. “When we plan for community safety, how are we ensuring our community-based early learning centers are a part of that safety plan. Even after my short time here I can already see this community cares.

“It’s never easy to leave home. However, I am so excited to join the North Texas community.”