Parent advocate ✦ Farmingdale, Maine
I’m a mom of three. My work in Head Start began with my own family. Now I help other parents have a say in the decisions that affect theirs.
My story My advocacy
My family
When my son needed a developmental evaluation, his Head Start team helped arrange it. They were there for every meeting. That’s the part of Head Start I think about when someone asks me why its standards matter.
I bring that experience with me as a Policy Council president and a parent representative on the National Head Start Association board. I’m also studying social sciences, with a focus on anthropology. I’m interested in how people see the world and whose experiences get heard when decisions are made.
Advocacy
A few examples from my work with Head Start families in Maine and in Washington.
I coordinated and participated in three legislative visits in Washington, D.C., in October 2026 with my Head Start center supervisor. I also submitted testimony on FY2027 Head Start funding to the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Read my written testimony ↗
As part of the Parents Unite Leadership Team, I help plan trainings, develop materials, and support parent leaders. I have facilitated office hours to help parents understand proposed Head Start policy changes and participate in the public comment process.
My work includes mentoring newer parent representatives, supporting event planning and logistics, and contributing to leadership discussions. I focus on helping people understand how to participate and feel prepared to contribute.
Boards & committees
Board of Directors · Region I Parent Representative
Developing NHSA’s legislative and regulatory agenda and strategies to advance it, gathering member input on state and federal policy, and guiding communications that explain NHSA’s positions to members and the public.
Developing and evaluating member services, strengthening membership recruitment and retention, responding to member needs, and supporting fund development.
I help plan advocacy trainings, develop materials, and support parents as they step into leadership. My work includes facilitating policy office hours to help parents understand proposed Head Start changes and participate in the public comment process.
Maine Parent Representative
I help plan regional parent advocacy trainings that support families in developing their advocacy skills and stepping into leadership.
Vice President, Board of Directors
Board Policy Council Representative · Policy Council President · Gardiner Head Start Representative
Personnel policies and organizational structure, with involvement in employment-related matters as needed.
Developing enrollment criteria for Head Start and Early Head Start.
Screening, interviewing, and selecting employees in partnership with parents and staff, with decisions subject to Policy Council ratification.
Participating in the program’s self-assessment process and related subcommittee work.
Developing Head Start and Early Head Start budgets.
Program alumna · Committee member
Tracking and advocating for state and national policy priorities affecting families and education, collaborating with partner organizations, sharing federal updates with alumni, and drafting a mock bill for the current cohort’s final workshop.
Planning the annual Parent Ambassador graduation, coordinating community events and outreach, increasing program visibility in communities and on social media, and creating the monthly newsletter.
Developing strategies to recruit future Parent Ambassadors, engage and connect alumni, track alumni activities, and maintain alumni rosters.
Participant · Committee member
Maine Equal Justice Partners Circle member
Washington, D.C. · 2026
I received the National Head Start Association’s Advocacy All Star Award in Washington, D.C., in 2026.
Photo album
My current project
In developmentParallax
A youth leadership fellowship
Cultural learning · Connection · Possibility
I’m developing Parallax to help young people explore cultures, build meaningful relationships, and imagine possibilities beyond their everyday surroundings.
The vision is to bring together cultural learning, travel, and guided reflection so that new experiences can shape how young people understand themselves, relate to others, and think about their futures.
Parallax is being designed for high school students, especially young people who face financial or other barriers to cultural and travel opportunities. The aim is to make space for curiosity and growth across different interests and future paths.
The planned experience combines learning about cultures and communities, building relationships, travel, and reflection. International experiences are central to the vision, creating opportunities to encounter different ways of living and question familiar assumptions.
The goal is for participants to grow in cultural understanding, see more possibilities for themselves, and help others find opportunities too. Leadership begins with what they learn and how they choose to share it.
Parallax is in development. I’m shaping the program and exploring partnerships, and I welcome conversations with potential advisors, community partners, and supporters.
Reading room
News coverage, advocacy, and parent leadership work collected in one place.
7 entries
A feature about my experience navigating child care barriers while raising a family and pursuing education, and how those experiences shaped my advocacy for more inclusive care and stronger family supports.
Read the feature (PDF, 2 pages) ↗Maine Public reporting featuring my perspective as a Head Start parent and advocate.
Read on Maine Public ↗UPLAN highlights my participation in its public comment action session and my continued Head Start advocacy with congressional offices in Washington, D.C.
Read the feature on UPLAN ↗I shared how Head Start staff helped my son access a developmental evaluation and stayed involved throughout the process. My family’s experience illustrates why consistent standards for children’s health and developmental support matter.
Read on The New York Times ↗A subscription may be required.
Coordinating and participating in three legislative visits with my Head Start center supervisor.
My role: Outreach, scheduling, coordination, and participation in three legislative visits.
Focus: Bringing a parent perspective into conversations with legislative offices about Head Start and the families it serves.
Work overview. Meeting materials are not included in this archive.
My written outside witness testimony, submitted in partnership with NHSA to the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee for FY2027, brings a parent perspective to Head Start funding.
Read my testimony on NHSA ↗Helping parents build advocacy skills and understand proposed Head Start policy changes.
My role: Helping plan trainings, developing materials, supporting parent leaders, and facilitating policy office hours.
Focus: Helping parents understand proposed changes and how to participate in the public comment process.
Work overview. Training materials and recordings are not yet available here.
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Experience & qualifications
My experience in parent advocacy, board service, and community engagement, along with my education and credentials.
PDF · 2 pagesContinuing to learn
B.S. in Social Sciences, focus in Anthropology
University of Maryland Global Campus · Expected May 2027
Advocacy Micro-Credential · Completed July 2026
Project Management & Data Analytics undergraduate certificates · Expected December 2026
Contact
Interested in parent advocacy, a panel or training, community engagement, or the development of Parallax? I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Leah.r.bolden@gmail.com ↗Speaking & training · Community partnerships · Youth leadership