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OUR HISTORY
1970's
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a Catholic faith-based organization, begin a project to provide health support to farmworker families on the east coast of the United States. The name of the project is The East Coast Migrant Health Project. The Leadership Conference of Women’s Religious expands its project services to include The East Coast Migrant Head Start Project. Some Head Start services are provided directly by The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, but most Head Start services are provided by local nonprofit organizations and school districts known as “delegate agencies.”
1980's
In the 1980s, The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a Catholic faith-based organization, embarked on a mission to provide essential health support to farmworker families on the East Coast. They named this project "The East Coast Migrant Health Project." As part of their dedication to this cause, they expanded their project services to include what is now known as The East Coast Migrant Head Start Project (ECMHSP). While some Head Start services were directly administered by The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the majority were carried out by local nonprofit organizations and school districts, referred to as "delegate agencies."
1990's
ECMHSP extended its Head Start services to reach more farmworker families, with a specific focus on migrant farmworker families engaged in agricultural labor, including crop harvesting and production. Toward the end of the decade, Sister Geraldine O’Brien, the Executive Director who had passionately led this mission, announced her well-deserved retirement. Additionally, an amendment to the Head Start Act broadened eligibility to include seasonal farmworker families who did not relocate for agricultural work.
2000's
In the early 2000s, Rafael Guerra took the helm as the new Executive Director of ECMHSP. Under his leadership, the organization experienced a significant expansion into new farmworker communities. Rafael also emphasized the enhancement of service quality throughout the project. ECMHSP began to shift towards a direct service model, reducing its reliance on delegate agencies. Moreover, the organization extended its mission to include advocacy for the farmworker community. At the close of the decade, Rafael Guerra announced his retirement, capping a lifetime dedicated to serving farmworkers.
2010's
Dr. José S. Villa assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, succeeding John E. Menditto, who had skillfully guided ECMHSP through the Designation Renewal System before resuming his position as Chief Legal Officer. Dr. Villa, following in the footsteps of Rafael Guerra, prioritized the enhancement of service quality and the transition towards a direct service model. During this period, ECMHSP saw a substantial increase in the number of non-mobile, seasonal families it served. Furthermore, eligibility for the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program expanded to encompass all families engaged in "agricultural labor," extending beyond those solely involved in tree and field crop harvesting and production.
2020's
Dr. José S. Villa announced his retirement, and Maria C. Garza succeeded him. Maria, much like Rafael and José before her, grew up in a farmworker family. Her personal experience as a farmworker child and her career in leadership roles supporting the farmworker cause uniquely positioned her to lead ECMHSP into the next decade. The beginning of Maria’s tenure has been marked by numerous achievements, from successfully navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to expanding ECMHSP’s model of excellent services into Indiana and Oklahoma. The organization also extended its services to agricultural workers in dairy, seafood, and nurseries, while also making a significant contribution to preschool education through the publication of books by Scholastic Education.
