News

Daina Taylor

Carlsbad Current Argus Article By Stella Davis
Article Launched: 02/27/2007 09:38:24 PM MST

CARLSBAD — Carlsbad's Head Start site supervisor Daina Taylor has been named the national winner of the Helen Hollingshed Taylor Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship, sponsored by the National Head Start Association and friends of the late Helen Hollingshed Taylor, will allow Daina Taylor to continue to pursue her Master's degree in early childhood education.

"I applied for the scholarship last April and I had to compete at the local, state and national level," said Taylor, who also holds a Master's degree in international law and a Master's in criminal justice. "It's a great honor to have been awarded this scholarship. At the state level, each state selected one nominee. At the national level, only one winner was chosen, and I was fortunate to have been the one selected."

Taylor, who has been with the Carlsbad-based Southeast Community Action Corporation's Head Start program for the past 10 years, came to the United States from Taiwan in 1983 to attend college. She later married Clint Taylor and while raising their children, she continued her life-long pursuit of education.

"After I got my criminal justice degree I worked at Carlsbad Mental Health as a case manager Advertisement helping my clients to become self-sufficient in their lives. One of my clients was from the teaching profession. I saw an ad in the newspaper for a teaching position and I encouraged my client to apply. I went with her to Head Start for moral support and I liked what I saw there," Taylor said.

She said prior to her work at Carlsbad Mental Health she worked with troubled teens. But the job took a toll on her and she left the profession. She said her brief visit to Head Start got her to thinking that if children could be given knowledge at an early age, perhaps some of the problems she dealt with working with troubled teens could be prevented.

When a job opening was advertised for a site supervisor at Head Start, Taylor said that she believed she had the qualifications and applied. Taylor was the successful applicant and said she has had no regrets changing careers.

"These little kids help me stay grounded," she said.

Taylor said she decided to pursue her Master's in early childhood education because she felt a strong need to master the field she has chosen to work in.

"I love education and learning," she said. "I want to stay on top of today's teaching methods. "There have been so many changes in the teaching profession since I started working at Head Start 10 years ago. It's a lot different, but in a good way."

Alisa Davis, Southeast Community Action Corporation executive director, said the awarding of the scholarship to Taylor is a "huge recognition" for her agency and the Head Start Program.

"This is the first for Carlsbad," Davis said. "They only give out one scholarship per year. It's great to have a staff member of this caliber."

Taylor said that at the local level, she continues to work at changing the image of Head Start.

"For too many years people have looked at Head Start as a glorified daycare program. It's far from that," Taylor said. "Head Start promotes education, both for our young students and continuous education for staff members."

In April, Taylor will head to San Antonio, Texas, where she will accept her award that will provide her up to $3,000 for the next three years to complete her graduate studies, which she is doing online through New Mexico State University.