Why an Early Childhood Teacher Who Left Head Start is Still a Believer in its Mission

August 30, 2023

Original coverage by Ryan Denham for WGLT.

Early childhood teacher DaWayne Morris started working with kids about 20 years ago. He officially joined the staff at Heartland Head Start in Bloomington in 2011.

“From that point on, I just became the Mr. DaWayne of Head Start officially,” he said. “I’ve taught children … oh my goodness, I’ve taught their parents. To the point where I’ve taught certain grandparents.”

Heartland Head Start is a publicly funded early childhood program for low-income families. The Bloomington-based agency is struggling after another round of leadership turnover – and increased federal scrutiny after a review turned up a deficiency.

Head Start also faces another challenge shared by just about every early childhood program in central Illinois – low pay that drives away good teachers, like Morris.

Morris is a big believer that learning starts at home, and he said Head Start’s comprehensive approach to both the kids and their families worked.

“I just don’t want children to say, ‘I can be an athlete,’ and that’s it. No, you could go to space! Explore your terrain. Do want you want to do but be great at it. You’ve always got support,” Morris said. “That’s where my head is when it comes to Head Start. I mean, I love it. You know, you hear a biased view here or there. The history definitely has proven itself for those who’ve had a dislike for certain staff members. But that’s why you have to leave your attitude at the door. Remember the purpose of why we walk through that door. For all we know, we’re the safest environment some of those kids will experience.”

But as much as he loved it, Morris left Head Start about a month ago.

“I took a chance on an opportunity. The money sounded a little bit better (at his new job). And I’m like, what do you do? I’m engaged to be married. We just purchased a new home. Money’s kind of a necessity right now,” Morris said.

He didn't just leave Head Start. He left the early childhood field. He’s working at an insurance company.

“Honestly, I hate that I left. But due to … the politics of nature, so to speak. The teacher shortage has been a [big] thing lately. I’m not gonna lie: I kind of feared job security. In the meantime, opportunities were knocking at my door. So when your life is handing you different scenarios, and you just don’t know the fate of what’s going forward in the upcoming year, I just took a chance and made a midlife career change,” Morris said. “And the pay is double.”

Morris said he told his former Head Start colleagues that “his door is always open.”

“If we can have assurances that the program will exist and endure forever and ever, who knows? I may actually come back. It’s one thing to go where the money is. But you gotta go where your passion is. My passion is with those families. My passion’s with Head Start. Deeply.”

Staff shortages across the profession

The financial pressure on Morris is not unique.

A recent report from the Birth to Five Illinois initiative said staff shortages – compounded by low wages and a lack of benefits – are a major drag holding back McLean County’s early childhood system. The average salary of a full-time child care professional is $27,622, the report said.

Those workforce challenges shape how Morris thinks about the future of Heartland Head Start.

“It’s like a tree. The branches have spread so far out. Facilities here, facilities there. Six Points Road. The YWCA. Mennonite over in Normal. Livingston County, two classes in Pontiac,” Morris said. “It’s to a point now where a downsize may be what’s needed, because of such a shortage of staff. If the branches spread out any further, I just feel like the leaves won’t grow on those branches, because you can’t have children in a classroom if you don’t have the staff to support them.”

Heartland Head Start now has a new interim executive director, and a new interim president for its Governance Board. A few years ago, a power struggle between its two governing boards devolved into a lawsuit. Morris himself worked for three different directors and a slew of managers.

WGLT asked Morris whether the agency had done a good job insulating the kids and families from that churn.

“I believe yes. Honestly, the teachers who are there now are there because they actually want to be there. Opportunity has presented itself to them, and they’ve decided to stay for their passion and love for the children. Every teacher who is there right now is not there for the paycheck. They’re literally there for the success of the children and the families.”

Morris said he planned to apply and hoped to join Head Start’s Governance Board, which oversees fiscal and legal matters for the agency.

“I want to advocate for those teachers and make them feel like they do have support still. I want to make sure these families see that, even if we leave, we still care about the quality of the program,” Morris said.

Morris also talked about how the community could help – if they see what’s happening at Head Start and want to get engaged.

“I’d say volunteer. Money isn’t always the object. Volunteer. Show support. Come read a book to a kid for a day. When I was in the classroom, the best thing I used in the form of outside support was State Farm [where he works now]. They’re granted time outside of work just to do those things. Illinois Wesleyan students can come volunteer,” Morris said. “Anyone can donate diapers, pencils, school supplies. It’s bigger than material. Community involvement brings more people. More people bring awareness. Awareness breeds, ‘This is a great place.’”