Road to Success

Throughout 2024, the Office of Childhood (OOC) will share “Roads to Success,” a collection of stories from professionals and higher education institutions. Stories from professionals feature achievements from people working in childhood programs such as home visiting, early intervention, child care, Head Start, preschool, and afterschool. Stories from higher education institutions highlight colleges and universities who are using innovative methods to support and grow the early childhood workforce. There are many roads to success, it is important to highlight the varying and unique pathways that professionals take and how higher education programs can pave the way.  You can view previous editions of the Road to Success as well. 

This month’s Road to Success focuses on Angela Hall, the Family Services Manager with the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency in Carroll County. When Angela graduated high school, she immediately joined the workforce and after eight years, she decided to pursue a degree.

She began classes at State Fair Community College and graduated in December 2007 with two Associates of Applied Science in Business Management and Marketing and Retail Specialty. She began working for the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency as a Family Development Specialist and over the next five years, Angela worked with families in their homes in Saline County. In June 2011, she earned her Family Development Credential.

During this time, Angela’s supervisor saw her potential for leadership and began preparing her for a managerial role. This included training new Family Development Specialists, attending a leadership academy, and becoming an advisor for the Family Development Credential program. As Angela began working toward her bachelor’s degree, she moved into a coordinator position before becoming a supervisor and then a manager. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Columbia College in 2020.

Angela’s goal as a manager is for her Family Advocates to have the same feelings she did after working with families at home visits: joy and fulfillment from helping those in need. She still runs into people in her community who are excited to see her and remind her that she helped them earn their GED, get a job, or accomplish a goal. Angela believes Family Services is all about taking small steps that can lead to big positive outcomes.