Pros
Getting to work with children and low-income families who are in great need of assistance. In my case, working with many refugee families was enjoyable to me.
Cons
I would strongly suggest not working for this agency. The turnover rate is incredibly high, because of the constant stress/confusion in the work environment. From what I understand, 1/4 of lead teachers quit during the school year, many of whom just up and left without providing notice to the agency. I believe many more will quit over the summer landing the organization back at "square one" having to train all-new employees, etc. Job expectations are often unclear/delayed/unrealistic - this job is much, much more than teaching preschool. It's absolutely too much! The Head Start portion of SLCAP is always understaffed and seems management heavy, which causes a lot of problems. There aren't enough supervisors to teach "Lead Teachers/Family Advocates" how to do their jobs effectively. It is also hard to get a response from other departments Lead Teachers are required to coordinate with closely, because they too are understaffed. For instance, the nursing team, composed of 3 nurses, is now down to 1. (With a caseload of over 2,000 children program-wide.) One nurse quit this year and the lead nurse is retiring. Another newly hired nurse quit after just 4 hours. 2 kitchen staff walked off the job, 3 Education Specialists (supervisors to the teachers) quit mid-year and atleast one office manager also quit. Burnout is quickly cause by staff members who work constantly but still never feel like they are getting everything done. The work environment is chaotic and extremely toxic, as the CEO and management team communicate passive-aggressively and aren't transparent in regards to what is going on with the organization. The organization undergoes constant change, given its requirement to comply with federal guidelines/constant need for more grant money, which may or may not be awarded. These items also contribute to high stress levels and a chaotic atmosphere.