This article is part of a month-long series spotlighting the people behind Blueprints, a nonprofit organization working to eliminate poverty through impactful community programs in Washington County, Greene County, and parts of West Virginia. To learn more about Blueprints, go to myblueprints.org.
Blueprints is a community action agency with a powerful mission: to break the cycle of poverty by empowering individuals and families with the tools and support they need to become self-sufficient and build better futures. Today we meet Brenda Fronzaglio, Director of Early Learning.
Our experiences and interactions in early childhood can impact the rest of our lives. For Brenda Fronzaglio, a Head Start preschool program in the basement of a church in Donora opened her and her family up to opportunities that would shape their lives.
Fronzaglio attended Head Start while her mother worked long hours as a waitress to support her six children. Her father, a veteran, was unable to work due to chronic illness. She has fond memories of being cared for, learning self-care skills, eating nutritious meals, and participating in creative learning opportunities with her friends.
Head Start also provided a system of support for her mother. A staff member encouraged her to pursue a nursing degree, an accomplishment that allowed her to financially support her family and build a career.
After college, Fronzaglio had plans to pursue a career in teaching. When she was working as a substitute teacher, she had the opportunity to work for Blueprints as a home visitor.
“I was excited about the opportunity to be able to teach, especially one on one with children and their families in the home environment,” she says.
Fronzaglio enjoyed her work so much that she stayed on with Blueprints and was promoted to Family Development Coordinator, a position that gave her the opportunity to teach others how to implement the program.
Ten years later, an opportunity arose to move to Youngstown, Ohio to be the Early Learning Director for a federally-funded literacy project. After the project ended, she worked with Easter Seals in their child development center and became a community trainer in early childhood for three counties in Ohio, teaching vital skills like child development and early learning standards. A few years later, she was offered the opportunity to come back to southwestern Pennsylvania and Blueprints, as the Director of Early Learning.
In her current role as Director, she oversees the early learning programs that serve children and families from prenatal to kindergarten.
“My primary responsibility is to make sure that we are operating high quality programming and meeting state and federal program regulations,” she says.
Fronzaglio admits that her greatest joy at work is to be able to visit the centers and interact with the children, family, and program staff, where she can see her department’s hard work being implemented.
She emphasizes the pride she has in her staff, who keep everything functioning.
“We have over 150 employees that work in the Early Learning programs. They are a team of staff representing education, disabilities, health and nutrition, and family services. They are an amazing group of individuals who make a difference every day in the lives of the children and families we serve,” she says.
The challenges of her program, and Blueprints as a whole, is the constant threat of funding cuts and rising operational costs. They must be flexible in seeking alternative funding sources to keep the program strong.
Despite the challenges, Fronzaglio sees a bright future for Early Learning. The research supports early childhood educations and parent and family engagement as a vital foundation for school readiness and lifelong learning.
“At Blueprints, we have a whole family approach and through Head Start we offer comprehensive services. That is a recipe for success not only for the children and families we serve but also for our programs and organization.
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