How this grassroots organization is empowering Latina educators

As a first-generation college student, Dr. Yohana Quiróz juggled caring for her young daughter while completing higher education. She remembers wanting to defy all the odds against her. What she also remembers about that time was the impact her daughter’s Early Care and Education (ECE) center had on her—and in a way, made her who she is today.  

While she originally went to college with a goal of being an accountant, she soon realized that wasn’t where her heart was. It belonged to the Felton Institute, where her daughter graduated from an ECE program and where she herself eventually became the director.  

"It was there when I needed it the most. I was a client,” she shared. During the time her daughter was enrolled at Felton, Dr. Quiróz was receiving parenting support from the two-generation model the institute offered. “I really believe in the model because it transformed my life,” she said. 

She began working at the institute as an undergrad, and when she was in her early 20’s and the director was stepping down, she was selected to take on that role.  

“I feel not only a responsibility, but a commitment to giving back,” she said. “To me, it’s a privilege to be in such a space, being able to lead this organization.”  

Once she took on the director role, she constantly wondered why she was one of very few Latinas who had a seat at the table. Latina women make up 46% of ECE educators in California, and yet only 12% of leadership roles.   

“We can’t aspire to be what we can’t see. We’re not invited to the table, so therefore I had to create my own table and opportunities to cultivate the next generation of Latina leaders,” she said. That’s why in 2023 she founded Unidos for ECE, a grassroots organization by Latinas for Latinas that connects and empowers Latinos in ECE to unlock their agency, knowledge, skills, and deepen their community impact. The idea was born from Dr. Quiróz’ research while completing her doctorate program. She studied the experiences of Latinas in the ECE field, and realized a major barrier to accelerating into leadership roles was the lack of professional development and training—especially culturally specific ones. 

Unidos for ECE aims to fill that gap. Through its ELLA-ES Fellowship program, ECE educators are offered culturally responsive mentorship, leadership coaching, and training, which gives them the skills to advance in their career. The first fellowship cohort had a high success rate, with almost 50% of program participants receiving a promotion or new role. 

Dr. Quiróz remains grateful that Practitioners’ Voice CA (PVCA) believed in her vision and gave her the funding to bring her idea to life. Unidos’ mission fits into PVCA’s goal to strengthen the pipeline of diverse child care practitioner leaders and build their power to influence policy.   

With continued funding, Dr. Quiróz can take Unidos to the next level and expand outside the Bay Area, and eventually, nationally. Her goal is to help 500 Latina educators in five years. She stands unapologetically in her mission, especially now.   

“It is in our most challenging moments that we must amplify our efforts deepening our advocacy, expanding our influence, and boldly speaking truth to the issues that continue to shape and affect our lives,” she said, “amplifying our influence and the substantial contributions we make, not just in the field of ECE, but in our communities.”

Dr. Quiróz expressed the importance of preparing the next generation of ECE leaders, as it is currently an aging field. She added that a major focus now is to elevate school readiness outcomes for Latino children—who currently make up 50% of California’s youth.  

“The first five years of a child's life is so critical that we want to make sure that we're equipping children with what they need in order to really thrive, not just survive, but thrive in the educational system,” she said.  

She wants funders and others in the child care space to understand the urgency of supporting diverse leaders who represent the communities they serve, as this is often an area where there is a gap in funding. Yet, it’s critically important for securing positive outcomes for children and families. 

“My goal is that this becomes a movement,” she said. “A movement to bring together emergent and experienced leaders to create positive change and impact, and bring solutions for ourselves, and the communities we serve.”