Volunteers from The Bishop's School Graduate

Through the TBS@ECS Head Start Program, students from The Bishop's School have spent the past several years inspiring, mentoring, and learning alongside our Head Start children.

As the program's founding members graduate, we celebrate their dedication and the lasting impact they've made in our classrooms.

Congratulations graduates!

Read more about the friendships, learning, and impact this partnership has created.

The founding members of TBS@ECS celebrate their years-long dedication to Head Start students. June 2026.

The Bishop’s School students cultivate a fun learning environment at ECS Head Start. February 2026.

Building a Love for Learning

Head Start students pose with their art projects and friends. March 2026.

Love for school and knowledge begins with our littlest learners. High school students from The Bishop’s School have embarked on a mission to help build love of learning in ECS Head Start students through a variety of volunteer activities.

So far, The Bishop’s School students have visited Highland Head Start and Harbison Head Start. They plan to also bring the fun to Castle Park Head Start and Zamorano Head Start in the coming months.

A student volunteer guides a Head Start student in creating his project. March 2026.

At Highland, the student volunteers did yoga with the Head Start students, teaching them healthy movement. At Harbison, they assisted Head Start students in an art activity, encouraging hands-on creativity.

“Student volunteers bring more than just their time to our Head Start classrooms — they bring mentorship, creativity, and joy,” said Harbison Site Supervisor Denise Trejo. “Through fun activities and positive interactions, they inspire our young learners, helping them build confidence, curiosity, and love for learning.” 

ECS is thankful to The Bishop’s School volunteers for giving their time and talent to Head Start — from one student to another. Their friendship and mentorship create meaningful impact in the education of ECS Head Start students.

The Bishop’s School students enjoy outdoor activities with Head Start students. March 2026.

Student volunteers bring joy and learning to ECS classrooms. March 2026.

Festivities and Resources to Greet the Fall Season

Children add to the festive atmosphere with their Halloween costumes. October 2025.

Chula Vista, CA – The fall season is brimming with beloved traditions and festivities. From pumpkin carvings and jumping in leaf piles to enjoying hot apple cider, there is so much fun to be had. ECS has its own annual fall tradition: the Head Start Fall Festival. 

The Fall Festival was held at ECS Family Engagement Center (FEC), the perfect backdrop for a late afternoon of fun and resources. Each area of the community resource center hosted a different activity for families to enjoy. 

ECS staff display put together a pumpkin patch with donated pumpkins for children to pick. October 2025.

Outside sat an eye-catching pumpkin patch where children could redeem their entry ticket for a pumpkin of their choice. 100 pumpkins were donated for the event by St. John's Episcopal Church, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, Chase Bank, Neighborhood National Bank, All Saints Episcopal Church, Jen Jow, Jimmy Hansen, and St. David's Episcopal Church and Preschool. 

Students from The Bishop’s School help Head Start students with arts and crafts. October 2025.

Games, included a “stuffy walk” where children could win a stuffed animal and a raffle families could participate in. A craft table – manned by student volunteers from The Bishop’s School – sat inside FEC. Children’s creativity ran wild as they created fall-themed decorations. Kara Crawford, an Educator at The Bishop’s School and member of ECS’ Board of Directors, attended the event with her students and commented on the importance of attending the festival. “This is our [The Bishop School’s] third or fourth year coming. What’s really important for them [The Bishop School’s students] is that it’s a real opportunity for them to see the whole network of organizations that support Head Start,” Crawford said. “It’s much more than preschool; the preschool is sort of the contact point to support a whole family and a whole community.” 

Community partners offer a variety of resources to festival attendees. October 2025.

Community was a central theme of the event. Much more than just fun and games, the Fall Festival boasted a large line-up of community partners offering valuable resources to attendees. Javier Tanayo, a Patient Engagement Specialist at Family Health Services, shared why the presence of community partners at events like the Fall Festival is important. “I think it’s always going to be amazing to share the resources to the community,” Tanayo said. “You never know who doesn’t know about what’s being offered in their community.” 

Joanna and her daughter enjoy the festival. October 2025.

The Fall Festival is an example of community coming together to celebrate and uplift one another. Joanna Garcia, a Head Start parent of a three-year-old, has now attended the festival three times. “[The Fall Festival] is a really fun place to bring your kiddos just because all the resources are really important. What they provide is honestly things that you wouldn’t expect,” she said. She also shared how supportive Head Start has been for daughter. “I think it’s just a great program,” she said. “It’s not daycare, it’s an educational system for your kids. It has genuinely taught my child, especially how to control her emotions. A lot of kids who are very young don’t know how to do that.” Garcia added, “The teachers are really nurturing, it’s a safe environment, you get a lot of great resources.” 

The Fall Festival is fun for the whole family. October 2025.

The Fall Festival was a great kick off to the fall season. 180 people attended the event, enjoying fall-themed activities and engaging with a variety of community resources. To learn more about the wholistic community support offered by Head Start, visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/head-start-and-early-head-start. 

Exploring ECS’ Future at the 2025 Board of Directors Retreat

National City, CA – Tuesday’s gray skies couldn’t dampen the optimistic energy inside St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, where ECS’ Board of Directors gathered for their annual retreat alongside committee members, ECS leadership, and staff.  

The 2025-2026 ECS Board of Directors and ECS staff and leadership. October 2025.

The retreat provided time to strengthen connections, celebrate the past year’s successes, and chart the course ahead.  

The retreat began with reflection on ECS’ core values — belonging, respect, exploration, empowerment, and stewardship — as attendees shared which values resonated with them the most and why.  

New board member Chris Connolly attended his first retreat and met many of his fellow directors and ECS leadership in-person. He expressed his excitement to build relationships and learn more about ECS. He joined the board with hopes of making a difference in the community. “Bishop Susan, in her opening prayer today, talked about transforming communities, and Elizabeth talked about how the new El Cajon facility is going to help transform that community,” Connolly said. “I'm really excited about this notion of transforming communities, which would give me a lot of purpose, if I could come to ECS board meetings to do that. Both this year, and years ahead, that'd be really exciting.” 

Presentations from CEO Elizabeth Wilberg, Board President La Monica Everett-Haynes, Board Chair Bishop Susan B. Snook, and CFO Darren Tune offered an overview of the 2024-2025 fiscal year and reviewed organizational goals for 2025-2026. Later in the afternoon, attendees separated into groups and constructed ideas for continued growth and impact. 

Attendees discuss strategies for the new fiscal year. October 2025.

Board President La Monica Everett-Haynes welcomes attendees to the retreat. October 2025.

Idara Ogunsaju, a member of the newly formed People & Culture Committee, shared how inspired she felt to meet other individuals driven to support ECS’ work. “It's very easy to get behind the work that's being done, from Head Start children to helping with the issues of homelessness in San Diego,” Ogunsaju said. “You see the work that's happening, you see how they care, and how they're delivering on the mission, vision, and values of the organization.” 

Ogunsaju cited Elizabeth Wilberg’s leadership and ECS’ value of exploration as the things that inspired her to support the organization. “That exploration, the willingness, the openness to change, is very powerful and positions ECS well for today and for the future,” she said. 

Head Start staff takes attendees on a tour of the school site. October 2025.

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is also the site for one of ECS’ Head Start centers. Attendees toured the facility, visited active classrooms, and learned about the wide variety of wraparound services Head Start offers, including Home Visits. ECS Head Start not only supports academic growth, but the whole family unit, prioritizing the health and development of their students.   

The annual board retreat reflects ECS’ culture of stewardship and care. Through the dedicated work of its directors, committee members, and leadership, ECS continues to grow stronger each year, laying the foundation for the next century of service. Thank you to our board of directors and committee members for offering your time and talents to ECS. 

To learn more about the leadership that guides ECS visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/leadership.