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Telamon Corporation, founded in 1965, provides employment services, early childhood programs, housing, and other initiatives in eleven states. As committed advocates for people in need, their mission is to promote the development of human potential by providing resources and creating opportunities in the communities served. Since 1995 Telamon has been the only provider of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start services in Tennessee. The children of migrant and seasonal farm workers are served at 5 childcare centers across the state. The program has overcome many obstacles and celebrated numerous accomplishments over the years. In 1999 plans to build a new facility in a remote rural area of East Tennessee were met with resistance by the local community. Today that center is thriving and in 2006 the county mayor himself apologized to the families and staff for past tensions during a visit by the Director of Office of Head Start. The 2007 season was especially rewarding for the program. That year funded enrollment increased from 259 to 264 with the award of an expansion grant used to establish a successful infant center. Numerous hours of volunteer work and donations of materials resulted in a beautiful facility licensed to serve a maximum of 12 children and yielded tens of thousands of dollars in-kind (non-federal share) for the program. In 2007 Telamon Tennessee received recognition from the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association with the Plate of Bounty Award and Office of Head Start issued a Certificate of Excellence to the program after they received a perfect score on their Federal Review. In 2008 Telamon Tennessee served the largest number of children in the program’s 14 year history! 282 bright young minds, bodies and spirits were nurtured by our competent staff who return year after to year to care for the children they love. More teachers have obtained Associates, Baccalaureate or Masters Degrees and a third of the staff is occupationally fluent or bilingual in English/Spanish. Increased outreach to children with disabilities in 2008 resulted in the diagnosis and treatment of 18 disabled children. This is a three percent increase from last season and the largest number of identified disabilities for the program thus far. Telamon Tennessee’s nationally recognized Youth Initiative, Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground, enhances overall program services by providing school age migrant youth with enriching educational opportunities through involvement with local youth groups such as 4-H. Launched in 2005 with funds from Administration on Children, Youth, & Families, Office of Head Start, the program has served 100 youth, ages 8-18, from both migrant farm worker families and rural Tennessee families. The children have participated in a variety of community based art activities, including photography, digital storytelling, ceramics and mural arts. This unique statewide program brings together artists, educators and youth to engage in cross cultural learning experiences that transcend language, ethnicity and academic ability. Photographs taken by the youth have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited at venues across the country, including a gallery in Chicago and on the largest electronic billboard in Manhattan’s Times Square. For more information about Telamon Corporation and the Tennessee Youth Initiative contact: J Davis, State Director, Telamon Corporation, 6424 Baum Drive. Knoxville, TN 37919Phone: 865-212-4011x16 Email: jdavis@telamon.org Websites: http://www.telamon.org/ http://growingtn.org/ |
