Success Stories
Our network of educators share some of their success.
1. D.O.C.K. Preschool and Character Kids Out-of-School Program
HighQ has done an amazing job to looking beyond our individual centers and realizing what an impact we’re having on the community, future generations, productive adults, and the family system. When you realize that, it broadens your understanding of your mission and deepens your passion.
We’re on the team of Navigators, and my programs are members of the HighQ. When I first became a director 10 years ago I was in a new world and was finding out about all different kinds of regulations, rules, and accreditations. The tools I gained from HighQ, along with the priceless mentorship from Michelle Barnes, helped me to gain knowledge of my new role as a director, and also advanced my Center to a Level 3 in the Better Beginnings program in less than three years.
I could not have achieved this goal, nor even realized that it was a goal of mine, without the mentorship of Michelle Barnes and the resources HighQ gives my Center and teachers. This includes the continuing education classes, the resource center, and the relationships that are built with other leaders in our field.
Advancing to a Level 3 in the Better Beginnings program most benefits the children. The knowledge that is gained through the classes with the teaching staff, the integrity that is built in the program from the requirements of Better Beginnings, and the safety, nutrition, and health classes that are held for teachers, all benefit the children on a day-to-day basis.
“HighQ has done an amazing job to looking beyond our individual centers and realizing what an impact we’re having on the community, future generations, productive adults, and the family system.”
— Brandy Smith, Director of Children’s Ministries at D.O.C.K. Preschool and Character Kids Out-of-School Program in Bentonville, Arkansas
2. Sunshine School and Development Center
Sunshine School & Development Center has a mission of developing and enriching the lives of individuals and families through therapy, education and support.
Sunshine School is a member of HighQ and serves on Navigators. Our involvement with HighQ has impacted our center by providing high-quality training opportunities, access to the resource center, and collaboration with other professionals in early childhood education. Our educators have access to dozens of training topics that keep us on the cutting edge of new research and best practices. Each child is unique, so having a local resource center at HighQ, offering trainings, resources, and networking, helps us meet each child’s needs so they can thrive in their educational journey.
Training opportunities include topics that are applicable and practical to early childhood educators and administrators. There are different levels of training offered so education opportunities reach a wide audience.
The resource center offers educators and administrators a connection to free materials to help us teach our children and lead our organization. It also offers a platform to collaborate and network with other professionals in our industry. HighQ has a focus on developing leadership in our industry as well as the ability to learn from other professionals.
In my previous role at Sunshine School, I was a treating speech-language pathologist. The HighQ resource center materials allowed me to bind a high-quality, individualized social narrative for a child with autism. This social narrative centered on helping the child prepare for the many transitions children experience in their day. By being able to laminate and bind the social narrative, the child was able to carry the story with him throughout his school day without it getting damaged.
- Nicole Bedard, M.A., CCC-SLP, Director of Children’s Services at Sunshine School & Development Center in Rogers, Arkansas
3. Kindergrove Preschool and Children’s Center
Our mission at Kindergrove is to serve our community with quality, safe, and unique childcare and education to the young children of Northwest Arkansas through a safe, enriching environment in play.
To help fulfill our mission, we use the HighQ for trainings. They have offered tremendous trainings that are specific to leadership. These have helped me as a director. They have also benefited my staff by giving them confidence and helping them to be more self-initiating and self-motivated. The HighQ staff members are excellent about touching base with preschools throughout the region to find out what kinds of training are most desired. They take that feedback and are adaptive about providing just the right training and resources that are timely and relevant.
My biggest “aha” moment came when I attended my first trainings on leadership: The Director’s Toolbox Series. These had the biggest impact on me honing my leadership skills. It created a ripple effect in the organization that has positively benefited the children and families we serve. It opened my eyes and caused me to change the way I manage and lead. It made me realize how much of my role is to support my teachers by providing them with what they need to be the best teachers possible. I am very grateful for the work of HighQ.
— Sonia Keith, Director of Kindergrove PreSchool and Children’s Center in Rogers, Arkansas
