MEET Margarita

Her STORY

Margarita Gabriel dreamt of becoming a teacher since she was a young girl growing up in Mexico. but her family could not afford education and she dropped out of high school to work. She had an opportunity to immigrate to Chicago ten years ago and faced many challenges, including language barriers, limited education, and a young son, Adam. A neighbor worked at Gads Hill Center and recommended she enroll Adam in the Head Start program. From the start, Margarita was an active parent with Gads Hill Center. GHC’s all-day programs allowed Margarita to seek a full-time job to support her family, but she listed pursuing her education as part of the family goals. To support her, GHC hired her to work in the center’s kitchen. With a full-time job with benefits and the support of quality early education, Margarita and her son began to thrive. She enrolled in college part-time and received her teaching credentials this year. Margarita is now a teacher assistant in our center, and Adam entered school this year with the skills to ensure he is ready to learn and succeed. 

The Gabriel family’s success illustrates the impact of an intergenerational approach that focuses on strengthening the entire family system to support the healthy cognitive and socio-emotional development of the child. GHC programs build parent engagement because it engaged parents offer more stimulating home environments, read more with children, use less physical punishment, and have higher levels of self-sufficiency.