By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Championing parents and giving them a voice in their children's education has been very important to Donna Hudson-Hamilton throughout her career.
She said she was inspired to pursue a career in education after witnessing her mother's interactions with the system. Her brother had special needs, and Hudson-Hamilton said she often saw her mother very upset after meetings with teachers concerning her brother's needs.
"I always thought there has to be a better way to do this," she said.
Hudson-Hamilton, director of Early Childhood Connections in Hays, is retiring after 34 years in education.
After earning her degree in school psychology from Fort Hays State University, she served as a child psychologist working in early childhood for 12 years before becoming the director of Early Childhood for USD 489, a position she held for 22 years.
She strove to make parents a part of the education team.
"I have always had the philosophy that parents are their first and foremost teacher," Hudson-Hamilton said, "so if we really want to make lasting change, we need to include parents. They have to be a part of it."
Hudson-Hamilton has been a member of the Child Care Task Force of Ellis County since its inception. Dana Stanton, fellow task force member, nominated Hudson-Hamilton for the May Child Care Champion Award.
"For the past 30 years, Donna has been a champion for early childhood services and child care in our community and state," Stanton said. "As the leader of USD 489 Early Childhood Connections, she was instrumental in the development of the USD 489 Early Head Start Child Care Center. ...
"Her expertise in early childhood and the willingness to work on various child care taskforce committees have been greatly appreciated. It is hard to imagine someone in our community who has made a bigger impact on quality early childhood services than Donna Hudson-Hamilton."
Hudson-Hamilton said she quickly knew she was working with the right age group when she was assigned to work with young children.
"I just fell in love with it," she said. "I feel like this is the age to really make a difference and really make an impact."
Research indicates 80% of a child's brain is developed by age 3 and 90% by age 5.
She said the center works closely with teachers to identify the skills that children entering kindergarten might struggle with. In recent years, the center has focused on developing fine motor skills, as children are increasingly playing with electronics and less often engaging in activities such as coloring and playing with materials like Play-Doh.
Early child care, whether in a center or a home, is also very important in developing social skills that are essential for learning in a classroom setting in elementary school, Hudson-Hamilton said.
"If you talk to a kindergarten teacher, they would much rather have a child ready who could play well with others, follow directions, and sit and attend. Those [skills] are probably more important for them than if they know their ABCs," she said.
Hudson-Hamilton said she was proud of the work to establish the Early Childhood Complex.
"We're all at one location where we can be more supportive," she said.
Hudson-Hamilton has had plenty of accolades in her career.
She was named the Kansas Head Start Association Kansas State Children's Champion for 2025 this spring. In 2013, she was named the National Head Start Director of the Year. From 2007 to 2009, she served as president of the Kansas Head Start Association.
She has also served with many other local, state and national organizations. Some of these include:
• Heartland Community Foundation Board
• Kansas Association of Infant Mental Health
• United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
• Mental Health Advisory Committee
• United Way of Ellis County
• KHSA (Kansas Head Start Association)
• PACT (Parents and Children Together)
• HICC (Hays Interagency Coordinating Council)
• Head Start Collaboration Council
However, she said there are small moments every day that make a difference.
"It's the everyday things like seeing the kids and watching them grow and develop, and when parents reach new goals, or when I have active parents on policy council, and they have great ideas, and we're doing good things. Those things fill my heart," she said.
Hudson-Hamilton said COVID changed the way many people saw early child care providers.
"My hope is people continue to see early child care providers, no matter what they're doing, whether they are in a Head Start setting or in their own home day care, that they see them as the professionals they are.
"They are laying that early foundation, providing that safety and that relationship that children desperately need to develop their brains. I hope people see all early childhood providers as professionals."
She said she thought the child care task force has done much to promote the child care profession and educate the community about its importance.
Hudson-Hamilton said she has truly been blessed with an amazing team to work with at Early Childhood Connections.
"We really promote a good school family, and I feel I have had a good school family throughout my career," she said.
Hudson-Hamilton has been in education long enough that children who attended the Early Childhood Center are now in high school and beyond.
"We recently had a student who was in our Ellis classroom who did well at state track, and we'll say, 'Do you remember when they were in our classroom?' or we will have a student win a spelling bee," she said.
The Kansas Head Start Association also awards scholarships to graduating seniors who were previously enrolled in Head Start. Hays students have won that scholarship for the last two years.
"I do think we get to see our students go on to do great and amazing things," Hudson-Hamilton said.
However, Hudson-Hamilton said her greatest achievement has been her family and her own children. She said she has encouraged the center's staff members to make sure they also make time for their families.
Hudson-Hamilton has two daughters, ages 22 and 24, both of whom are also pursuing education as a career. One daughter teaches in an early childhood class in Russell and the other is a school psychologist in the Oakley co-op.
Hudson-Hamilton, 59, said she is still developing her retirement plans. She will likely continue to write grants for local agencies. She is also considering doing remote school psychology or technology work.