All Our Kin’s technical assistance (TA) team collaborates with organizations across the country engaged in innovative work to grow family child care (FCC) in their local communities. In this edition of our blog series highlighting our partners, we connect with Maria Amado, Founder and Director of Hartford Family Child Care Educator Community, Inc. (HFCCEC) and Owner of Green World Family Child Care in Hartford, CT. Maria has been collaborating with AOK for nearly eight years, first engaging in education coaching for her FCC program and later for TA in her work with HFCCEC.
Maria is a true leader in the field, being awarded Accredited Provider of the Year Award in 2023 by the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). She also hosted the Governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont, and the former Commissioner of the CT Office of Early Childhood, Beth Bye, at her Green World Family Child Care program. Read on to learn about Maria’s innovative work to center educator leadership and expertise to build an educator-led network in the greater Hartford area.
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All Our Kin: Maria, could you please share about the work overall of HFCCEC?
Maria Amado: The main focus of HFCCEC is to support FCC educators by creating a thriving community of educators, building their skills, helping them run sustainable businesses, and strengthening the quality of care and education they provide. This is a community network created by educators, for educators — it’s a peer-led effort that grew out of a real need in Hartford for Spanish-language professional development and support. HFCCEC is deeply embedded in Hartford’s child care community and offers programs shaped by the needs FCC educators themselves identify.
AOK: What role do educators play in the work of HFCCEC?
MA: HFCCEC is an educator-led organization, which means we are the FCC workforce. We’re not just representing educators, we are educators working in the field every day. Because of our lived experience, we know that most child care educators in Connecticut, especially in Hartford, identify as Latinas. So we ask ourselves: how can we support each other’s growth? How can we create spaces that are truly led by educators, for educators?
Being part of HFCCEC helps educators feel connected to a peer learning community, which really matters in a field that can feel isolating. The need for this kind of connection is clear—more than 220 educators have already joined HFCCEC. We’re deeply connected to the Latina FCC educator community in greater Hartford, and we’re committed to uplifting their knowledge, leadership, and expertise.
AOK: How do you hope that HFCCEC’s work will impact educators and families in the greater Hartford region?
MA: The impact on my colleagues is that it elevates them as professionals, not just service providers, breaking the stereotype that we are simply caregivers. It allows us to be sufficiently sustainable in how we offer a high quality learning environment to children. For families, the impact is the creation and strengthening of a system where all those involved—the children, the families, and the educators—grow together, maintaining respectful and culturally sensitive communication. Our work is to provide opportunities for them to grow as community leaders, mentors, and advocates, and to strengthen support networks among educators.
AOK: How did you originally connect with All Our Kin? Could you talk a bit about your collaboration with AOK and Marina over the years?
MA: AOK arrived in Hartford in 2018 for a NAFCC Accreditation project where a group of providers, including myself, became accredited. I would say that more than a collaboration, it was and continues to be a continuous learning experience with AOK, starting when Marina Rodríguez was my coach for obtaining NAFCC accreditation. I also had the opportunity to be a panelist for AOK workshops and to be part of the AOK Educational Policy Council. Marina continued to be my coach and mentor; she always listened when I mentioned the challenges I faced due to cultural differences, language barriers, and lack of resources. She supported my professional development, and that encouragement—knowing that someone believed in me, supported me, and trusted that I could succeed—came from Marina.
It was an initial process in which we both communicated often, where I shared my thoughts and what I wanted due to unmet needs in professional development. This has taken shape and become a reality through HFCCEC, a community of educators for educators. Thanks to All Our Kin, their model continues to be a part of my learning.
AOK: What difference do you think it makes to partner with All Our Kin on educational coaching and leadership supports for educator leaders?
MA: The difference emerges when educators begin to become aware of, reflect on, and value their work. When we value ourselves, we grow as the voice of our group and of others, without forgetting who we are, where we are going, and where we want to go. Relationships and respect are the core of growth without overshadowing others, and that is the heart of AOK.
AOK: Is there anything else that you’d like to share?
MA: A heartfelt thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow as an educator and for allowing me to be part of a real and practical change within the community.
We are grateful to Maria and HFCCEC for their thoughtful and dedicated collaboration! For more information on AOK’s technical assistance, you can sign up for our newsletter here.