From Dreams to Degrees: Building Futures at KidsPeace Thanks to The Farris Foundation
When Dezerae Kelley-Carvalho achieved her goal of a bachelor’s degree this summer, it was with a focus on the future. “Graduating made me feel like I could pave a pathway for my children and me to have a dependable future,” she shares. “It was a feeling of being free and accomplishment.”
A lead education technician at Graham Lake School in Maine, Dezerae is the first KidsPeace associate to graduate under an innovative partnership that KidsPeace has forged with the University of Maine at Augusta (UM-A) and The Farris Foundation. Thanks to a $300,000 grant from The Farris Foundation, associates can attend UM-A either to earn an associate’s degree in health and human services, or to complete their Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education (for associates, like Dezerae, with two years of previous college experience). The initiative aims to provide direct care staff and members with the opportunity to enhance their education while continuing their career with KidsPeace.
The classes are free to associates and 100% online to maximize the opportunity for associates to take advantage of the scholarship program. Associates in the program agree to stay employed at KidsPeace for two years following completion of their coursework.
“The purpose of this effort is to ensure that we can continue to have a strong and dedicated workforce, which is essential to our being able to meet the needs of the children in our care,” says Rachel Bousquet, Executive Director of KidsPeace New England. “That’s summed up in our tagline for associates about this program: As you invest in us, we will invest in you!”
It’s a sentiment Dezerae appreciates, and she is illustrating the impact of that investment for the future, as she has been accepted in the University of Maine’s Master of Social Work degree program. She also appreciates the experience of working for an organization that allows her commitment to the well-being of children to shine through:
“Working at KidsPeace is one of the most rewarding jobs I have had,” she shares. “Some days can be challenging, but watching the children grow and become successful is the best part about working at KidsPeace and knowing you had a part in that. Even the small steps these children make on a daily basis are big. Every day makes a difference in these children’s lives.”
We congratulate our trailblazer Dezerae and wish her fellow colleagues in The Farris Foundation Scholarship program the best of luck! We also share our gratitude to The Farris Foundation for their unyielding support in providing these educational opportunities for our associates – we could not do this without their kindness and generosity!
