We've made it nearly to March, and spring is just around the corner! This month, we share inspiring words from Zamzam Mohamed, CEO and co-founder of Voices of Tomorrow. And, we'd love your help spreading the word about our job opening for an Emerging Professional with 3 to 5 years of experience.
Through a community-based, child-centered approach, Voices of Tomorrow supports high-quality, culturally responsive early learning for King County immigrant and refugee communities. The Seattle Preschool Program first connected VOT and Environmental Works in 2018, when VOT was working to develop preschool classrooms in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood. VOT and EW recently completed a two-classroom remodel, and are now collaborating on preschool play area improvements (see p. 13 of EW’s 2019 annual report for more information).
Voices of Tomorrow Co-Founder and CEO Zamzam Mohamed recently joined EW staff to share insights on VOT’s work, its evolution during the pandemic, and the importance of community collaboration and support.
On what inspired her to found VOT:
Years ago, when I was the director of an ECEAP program [Washington’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, funding early learning for children ages 3 and 4], I saw an acute need for a community-based organization that would support children with language and cultural wraparound services from the primary years. I also saw the need for growing early learning leaders from within our community: we saw the glow on kids’ faces when they encountered teachers from their community in leadership roles.
At the same time, I saw a critical need to support family child care providers. Washington was rolling out Early Achievers, a quality improvement rating system to be applied to family child care providers as well as early learning centers. Many family providers faced challenges in learning about these standards, due to language barriers and isolation.
These community needs gave rise to VOT. We relied on a model of listening to the community, setting responsive goals, taking action, reporting back to the community on our progress, and asking for input on how we could improve. The community told us they wanted to grow leaders from within. A lot of families reported that they were losing their connection with their kids because of language differences: parents who speak minimal English, and kids who speak minimal Somali. So we started by developing a dual-language preschool program for 80 children in partnership with the City of Seattle.
On the organization’s growth:
To serve the many families moving out of Seattle because of gentrification, we started offering [state-subsidized] programming in the neighborhoods that families are moving to. Now we partner with the Highline and Tukwila school districts to operate preschools in their facilities. And we work with family child care providers, some of whom are monolingual in Somali, to support their operating as preschool programs that children can continue attending when they turn 4. We built a strengths-based program to support their compliance with the City’s complex requirements, removing the barrier of language access. We also offer home visiting with United Way ParentChild+. Our training program for caregivers offers a free 6-college-credit course on prenatal care, mental self-care, and child development through Highline Community College, because we know that supporting children starts with their caregivers. And we offer training for families on how to advocate for their children at school, and through legislative advocacy.
On evolution during the pandemic:
We’ve received support from a foundation to help us become a trauma-healing organization. We primarily engage with families that have been through trauma: language trauma, cultural shock, transition, war. We’ve hired mental health specialists to look at our policies, procedures, and staffing, as we ask, “How welcoming are we? Are we really supporting people from a strengths-based perspective? Are we elevating their health?” Everything we do now, be it for staff, teachers, children, or families, incorporates self-care elements. For example, our virtual engagement for children now begins with taking a moment to breathe.
On how we can support VOT’s work and the child care sector:
Community leaders are stretched really thin now. It can really help to do what EW has done for us – ask what you can help them with, and offer specific ways to support them – especially if you have relevant expertise to offer, whether it’s in getting a building up to code or distributing pandemic supplies. There’s a Somali proverb that one finger does not wash a hand; it takes all of us to get things done.
EW is hiring an Emerging Professional with 3 to 5 years of experience to work with us to design sustainable, beautiful, culturally responsive housing and community facilities! Please spread the word to mission-driven architects and designers in your networks. Click here for full job description and applications instructions.