At Durham’s Partnership for Children, family engagement is centered in our work. Family-led collaboration helps us and our community partners create meaningful opportunities to partner with and learn from the primary adults in a child’s life. The vision is that families feel supported in accessing services, making informed choices, and developing leadership skills to advocate for their children, themselves, and for systems change.
Program parent DeAnna Vincent embodies that vision. Through her family engagement and leadership, she brings her passion, skills, and advocacy to the Partnership. Her roles on our Early Head Start Policy Council and our Board of Directors have given her the opportunity to use her voice and stay engaged in her daughter’s care. “I’ve learned so much about the ins and outs of what the Partnership does, not just for the children, but for the families and the community as well,” she said.
DeAnna first learned about our Policy Council through her Family Services Coordinator. The EHS Policy Council is a group of Early Head Start parents and community members who help lead and make decisions about their program. The Policy Council meets regularly and works closely with the program’s management team to provide overall direction for the program. For her last year in the program, DeAnna served as Chair of the Policy Council. “You get to use your voice,” she said. “I always wanted to know what was behind the scenes of my daughter’s program, and what I can do to make a difference.”
DeAnna’s daughter, Alayah, who is now 3 years old, has spent two years in the Durham Early Head Start program. “Seeing her grow and thrive in the past two years has been phenomenal,” said DeAnna. Beyond the alphabet, numbers, and shapes, Alayah has gained a lot. Alayah’s walking and talking has improved, and she’s also developed social emotional skills like sharing and building friendships. She loves to read and she’s excited to go to school. DeAnna attributes this growth to knowing that Alayah’s teachers have her best interest at heart.
Alayah’s early learning hasn’t been limited to Early Head Start. She’s also part of our funded partner’s program, Book Babies, which provides quarterly literacy coaching visits, 100+ age- and language-appropriate brand-new books, and a host of additional support through Pre-K and kindergarten enrollment. DeAnna enrolled Alayah at just two months old, and since then has become an active voice within the program too, speaking on parent panels from the perspective of a parent raising a child with special needs.
None of this advocacy is new for DeAnna. In many ways, it’s come full circle in her career. “I’ve done it all!” she said. She started babysitting at 11 and moved into a daycare setting at 19 after earning her credentials, working her way from assistant teacher to assistant director. In 2024, she started her own business tutoring children and educating teachers, and she now offers CPR trainings while finishing her degree so she can add SIDS training to her services as well. “I wanted to help be that middleman for a lot of teachers who don’t even know where to start,” she said.
Parents and caregivers like DeAnna are what strengthen our community and early childhood system. Family engagement uplifts parent perspective and helps our work reflect the needs of the families we serve. Simply put, we couldn’t do what we do without parent leaders like DeAnna.
Learn more about our Early Head Start program at: https://dpfc.net/our-work/durham-early-head-start/
Learn more about our Board and advisory committees at: https://dpfc.net/about-us/board-of-directors/
