Every year Promise 1000 recognizes dedicated Home Visiting staff that have gone above and beyond to provide quality services to families!
Award Descriptions
-Home Visitor of the Year Award
-Awarded to a Home Visitor working with Promise 1000 that has demonstrated above and beyond services to children and families. Home Visitors are nominated by their peers, and award winners are decided by unbiased reviewers-
Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Award
-Awarded to a Home Visiting Supervisor working with Promise 1000 that has demonstrated above and beyond services to children and families, as well as, demonstrating exceptional leadership abilities. Supervisors are nominated by their staff, and award winners are decided by unbiased reviewers-
Creative COVID-19 Engagement Strategies (2020-2021)
2020-2021 presented all of us with unique challenges. All of our Home Visiting Agencies worked creatively and proactively in resolving challenges related to COVID-19. They were dedicated to continuing to provide quality services to families and to avoiding disruptions in those services. We congratulate all of the Home Visiting Agencies in their innovation, creativity, cleverness, and dedication during that challenging time.
-This award went to a Home Visiting Agency or Individual working with Promise 1000 that has excelled in developing creative and innovative strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominees were determined by the Centralized Promise 1000 team based on efforts and strategies shared by the agency, and award winners were decided by unbiased reviewers-
Excellence in Outcomes Award (2021-2022)
-Awarded to a Home Visiting Agency that has demonstrated excellence in outcomes and performance rates. These agencies achieve high performance rates, earn performance awards for their work, and consistently have complete data collection. Their data also demonstrates their strong relationships and connections to their families.-
Home Visitor Attendance at Medical Visits Award (2022-2023)
-Awarded to the Home Visitor who attended the most Well Child Checks and Prenatal Healthcare Visits with their families! Attending WCC/PHCV with families is encouraged and supported by Promise 1000. We identify that having support during medical visits improves communication (remembering questions, interpretation, understanding the visits and goals better, etc.), facilitation of the visit, and emotional support for families.-
-Awarded to a Home Visitor working with Promise 1000 that has demonstrated above and beyond services to children and families. Home Visitors are nominated by their peers, and award winners are decided by unbiased reviewers-
Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Award
-Awarded to a Home Visiting Supervisor working with Promise 1000 that has demonstrated above and beyond services to children and families, as well as, demonstrating exceptional leadership abilities. Supervisors are nominated by their staff, and award winners are decided by unbiased reviewers-
Creative COVID-19 Engagement Strategies (2020-2021)
2020-2021 presented all of us with unique challenges. All of our Home Visiting Agencies worked creatively and proactively in resolving challenges related to COVID-19. They were dedicated to continuing to provide quality services to families and to avoiding disruptions in those services. We congratulate all of the Home Visiting Agencies in their innovation, creativity, cleverness, and dedication during that challenging time.
-This award went to a Home Visiting Agency or Individual working with Promise 1000 that has excelled in developing creative and innovative strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominees were determined by the Centralized Promise 1000 team based on efforts and strategies shared by the agency, and award winners were decided by unbiased reviewers-
Excellence in Outcomes Award (2021-2022)
-Awarded to a Home Visiting Agency that has demonstrated excellence in outcomes and performance rates. These agencies achieve high performance rates, earn performance awards for their work, and consistently have complete data collection. Their data also demonstrates their strong relationships and connections to their families.-
Home Visitor Attendance at Medical Visits Award (2022-2023)
-Awarded to the Home Visitor who attended the most Well Child Checks and Prenatal Healthcare Visits with their families! Attending WCC/PHCV with families is encouraged and supported by Promise 1000. We identify that having support during medical visits improves communication (remembering questions, interpretation, understanding the visits and goals better, etc.), facilitation of the visit, and emotional support for families.-
Special Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Award Winners
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Home Visitor of the Year Winner!
Nikki Carillo Children's Mercy - Healthy Families America Nikki received FOUR nominations and was said to be a leader Nikki is a leader who always steps up to the plate to get things done. She is resourceful and always goes beyond the call of duty to help her participants. If they were in the HFA program, they would choose her. Her passion is unmatched. She will help so much and never ask for it in return. She is selfless and her ideas are creative and timely. Her peers said that she makes a difference in children's lives and develops creative solutions for the families she works for. She's always helpful, supportive of the team and the families she serves. She's relatable and very patient with her families. Nikki deserves the award for Home Visitor of the year because she goes above and beyond for all the families she serves. She has a genuine helping heart; she never hesitates to help others. Nikki is a wonderful team player and her team truly appreciates her. Nikki is resourceful and always goes above the call of duty to help her families! |
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Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Winner!
Amy Sawyer Easter Seals Midwest Home Visitation Amy was described as a rock star! Amy started in the field of home visiting in 2011 after finishing her elementary education degree. A friend had been working as a home visitor for almost a year and was enjoying it, so Amy thought she would give it a try until she could find a teaching position. Famous last words they said! As a home visitor, Amy quickly proved she could establish a rapport and trust with families who often find trusting difficult. Satisfaction surveys routinely came back with comments for improving the program that simply said, “Let Miss Amy keep coming after my child turns 3! We adore her!” In her role as a manager, Amy has continued to shine. Amy has been dubbed “The Data Queen” by her peers. She has taken on the responsibility of quality assurance in documentation for their entire program (which served 750 different families in PY 24) and they feel is the reason the program qualified for over substantial incentive/bonus/Outcome Rate Card payments last year. |
These payments have allowed them to send home visitors and managers to 3 different state-wide conferences, purchase supplies home visitors need to enhance visits, give gas cards to families for attending well child and prenatal care appointments, and pass some of those incentive payments along to staff. They feel they wouldn’t have those opportunities if Amy wasn’t keeping on top of data to ensure information is entered accurately and on-time.
Amy is their primary trainer for new hires, a role that kept her busy as they added 19 new staff over the last 2 years! She coordinates on-boarding for new home visitors, helping them learn agency and program procedures and in scheduling and completing agency- and funder-required trainings. Amy not only became a certified Nurturing Parenting Program Training Facilitator, but also completed the Trauma Smart Staff Training Facilitator Academy allowing her to train new hires in the Trauma Smart model. On top of all of that, Amy supervises 6-8 home visitors and carries a caseload of 2-3 (heavily) Children’s Division involved families? Amy’s knowledge of the field, skills in relationship-building, and passion for empowering families increases exponentially each year, and they are proud to have her on their team!
Amy is their primary trainer for new hires, a role that kept her busy as they added 19 new staff over the last 2 years! She coordinates on-boarding for new home visitors, helping them learn agency and program procedures and in scheduling and completing agency- and funder-required trainings. Amy not only became a certified Nurturing Parenting Program Training Facilitator, but also completed the Trauma Smart Staff Training Facilitator Academy allowing her to train new hires in the Trauma Smart model. On top of all of that, Amy supervises 6-8 home visitors and carries a caseload of 2-3 (heavily) Children’s Division involved families? Amy’s knowledge of the field, skills in relationship-building, and passion for empowering families increases exponentially each year, and they are proud to have her on their team!
Amy is a rock star supervisor and trainer, adored by her families and is considered "The Data Queen"!
Congratulations to our Nominees!
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- Rebecca Troup, Kansas Children's Services League - Home Visitor of the Year AND Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Nominee
- Queen Warrior, Kansas Children's Services League - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Ashley Black, Children's Mercy (Healthy Families America) - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Courtney Stoppel, Parents as Teachers - Kansas City, KS. - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Leischele Carter, Front Porch Alliance - Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Nominee
- Kayla Ailshire, Easter Seals Midwest Home Visitation - Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Nominee
- Melissa Vaughns-Guein, Children's Mercy (Healthy Families America) - Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Nominee
- Arleen Martinez, Start at Zero - Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Nominee
Special Congratulations to our 2022-2023 Award Winners
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Home Visitor of the Year Winner!
Sonia Reyna Children's Mercy - Healthy Families America Sonia received two nominations and was said to be an excellent home visitor who has grown so much in her craft. She is open, honest and is able to meet her families where they are in order to support them the best. Sonia shows empathy and promotes family during visits and has engaged her families in such a positive way that it encourages others to participate and engage in services. It was said that Sonia is participant focused and puts everyone above herself. She is selfless and goes beyond the call of duty all the time to ensure her families are taken care of. She is always empathetic and present when her families need her the most. Sonia brings knowledge, joy and passion to this work and deserves to be recognized. Sonia is participant focused and puts everyone above herself! |
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Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Winner!
Lacey Law Parents as Teachers - Kansas City, KS. The clear winner of this award with multiple nominations (7) was Lacey Law from PAT KCK. Through her dedication, hard work and positive attitude Lacey has made an incredible impact on their families and staff. She works with home visitors in a way that encourages and inspires excellence. She works hard to ensure that their data is done, helps them stay on top of things, and ensures that families get connected to resources. She is extremely helpful and a wonderful team member that is always positive and has a great attitude. Lacey invented the REDCap parties where they come together to answer P1000 REDCap questions that staff have about data entry, give updates, and go over REDCap and she includes food, and doing data entry together. It’s a fun way to ensure quality data is captured for their program and builds team camaraderie, and it works! She is said to be essential in helping the Promise 1000 team at PAT KCK be successful. |
Her guidance helps them to consistently complete grant requirements and provide the best services possible for families in their program including monthly emails with encouragement and reminders and going out of her way to help staff succeed to the highest levels and ensuring that they are all on track with data collection and giving their families superior services.
She was an amazing parent educator, which is the pathway to her being even better at her position now. She has a plethora of knowledge and is always seeking information to keep her updated on changes and new resources and opportunities available. She is said to be the glue that holds their P1000 team together. She is always available to answer questions and provide support and reflection and is always willing to problem solve and go above and beyond. She offers a helping hand or words of encouragement when they need them. She is very thorough and detail oriented and will always tell them “You’ve got hits, and I believe in you” when they need it the most. She is the BEST!
She was an amazing parent educator, which is the pathway to her being even better at her position now. She has a plethora of knowledge and is always seeking information to keep her updated on changes and new resources and opportunities available. She is said to be the glue that holds their P1000 team together. She is always available to answer questions and provide support and reflection and is always willing to problem solve and go above and beyond. She offers a helping hand or words of encouragement when they need them. She is very thorough and detail oriented and will always tell them “You’ve got hits, and I believe in you” when they need it the most. She is the BEST!
Through her dedication, hard work and positive attitude Lacey has made an incredible impact on their families and staff.
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Medical Visit Attendance Award
Leonae DeLaTorre Parents as Teacher - Kansas City, Kansas Leonae has consistently achieved high attendance rates and attended close to 30 medical visits with her families last year alone. Her dedication to ensuring their families have the support that they need or want during their medical visits demonstrates her passion for creating strong relationships and connections with her families. Leonae consistently goes above and beyond each year to ensure her families are well supported during their medical visits! |
Congratulations to our Nominees!
- Rebecca Troup, Kansas Children's Services League - Home Visitor of the Year AND Medical Visit Attendance Nominee
- Nene Nave, Parents as Teachers, Kansas City, KS. - Medical Visit Attendance Nominee
- Laura Kienzle, Parents as Teachers, Kansas City, KS. - Medical Visit Attendance Nominee
- Leischele Carter, Front Porch Alliance - Medical Visit Attendance Nominee
Special Congratulations to our 2021-2022 Award Winners
Margarita is a pleasure to work with! |
Home Visitor of the Year Winner!
Margarita Juarez Children's Mercy - Healthy Families America Margarita has always had the best interest at heart for her families. She goes above and beyond to provide any and all services she feels the families will benefit from. Margarita will rearrange her schedule to accommodate a family in crisis. Margarita is passionate about each family on her caseload. She often exceeds expectations when families need a service or support that is atypical. She diligently works with the family to determine the most appropriate service or resource. Often she counsels Limited English Proficiency (LEP) families on specific issues causing them stress such as housing, day care options, mental health issues, and breastfeeding. She builds strong trusting relationships with each participant at a pace that allows them to remain hopeful for the future. Margarita is a pleasure to work with, she is creative when working with families to solve problems and is a strong advocate for families when difficult situations present. Margarita never complains and values the unique experience she has of walking with a participant through good days and bad days. |
Melissa celebrates her team and always encourages them to do their best! |
Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Winner!
Melissa Vaughn-Guein Children's Mercy - Healthy Families America Melissa is a great supportive supervisor. I was hired in September and had a baby in January. She was very supportive all throughout my pregnancy. She welcomed me with open arms and made sure I had a space conducive for learning. She went on home visits with me in the beginning and modeled the processes for me. When I left for maternity leave she made sure to see my participants and for that I’m grateful. She celebrates her team and always encourages us to do our best work. I love having her as a supervisor. Melissa supports each of her direct reports in unique ways that allow them to do their best work. Melissa values relationships and is skilled at offering support in just the right dose at just the right time and in a way that allows staff to learn and grow in their skills and abilities to work with families who are challenging or struggling in the program. Melissa never misses an opportunity to complement staff. She is a great teacher and when debriefing or creating a plan to address a family or parental crisis offers multiple ways to look at an issue and possible solutions. Melissa believes families and staff can succeed by focusing on their strengths, addressing gaps, and meeting challenges with a positive attitude. |
Excellence in Outcomes Award Winners!
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Kansas City, KS Parents as Teachers Lacey has consistently been a leader in ensuring the data collection is accurate and complete and even does REDCap parties to help staff be successful. PAT KCK staff has been diligent in their data collection and their hard work shows in their outcomes. Children's Mercy - Healthy Families America Over this last year alone, CMH HFA had 86% of the QI metrics meeting the established goals; which is impressive. CMH HFA staff consistently go above and beyond to ensure their data is completed on time and are passionate about their work which shows in their results. |
Congratulations to our Home Visitor & Supervisor Nominees!
- Ashley Black, Children's Mercy (Healthy Families America) - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Sharon Cook, Turner, KS Parents as Teachers - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Sonia Reyna, Children's Mercy (Healthy Families America) - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Victoria Campos, Easter Seals Midwest Home Visitation - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Lacey Law, Kansas City, KS. Parents as Teachers - Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Nominee
Special Congratulations to our 2020-2021 Award Winners!
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Home Visitor of the Year Winner!Leonae DeLaTorre
Parents as Teacher - Kansas City, Kansas Leonae has gone over and above the duties of a home visitor. She has helped families get through times of grief, and all levels of hardship. She loves serving the families she works with, by providing them with the tools it takes to be the best teacher and parent they can be.
Leonae has advocated for the rights and justice of her families by way of receiving proper health care services, rights from their landlord, receiving financial assistance for home utility and rent, along with a long list of other resources. Most of all, she loves working with Migrant and Immigrant families. She prides herself in modeling for them how to be self-sufficient and advocating for themselves, their family and their community. Leonae is a team player and is always willing to aid her co-workers on anything they need to better themselves as home visitors. |
Thank you, Leonae, for always going above and beyond!
Every Home Visitor should have a Jenni on their side! |
Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Winner!
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Creative COVID-19 Engagement Strategies
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Congratulations to our Home Visitor & Supervisor Nominees!
- Sonia Reyna, Children's Mercy (Healthy Families America) - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Amanda Kramer, Kansas Children's Services League - Home Visitor of the Year Nominee
- Oneta Templeton, Children's Mercy (Community Programs) - Home Visiting Supervisor of Year Nominee
Special Congratulations to our 2019-2020 Award Winners!
Thank you, Carron, for your passion and commitment to the families you serve! |
Home Visitor of the Year Winner!
Carron Miesner Easter Seals Midwest Nurturing Parenting Program Carron provided outstanding advocacy and supported her home visiting families that were unable to access needed immunizations for their children through their medical provider. Carron discovered that none of the families with Medicaid were receiving immunizations at the site and were being referred to their local county health department.
Carron has families that have limited transportation so sometimes that means having to choose between taking their children for well-child check-ups with their medical provider or taking them for their immunizations at the Health Department. Carron sought to understand why their medical provider count not provide these needed immunizations to her families. After much advocacy work, Carron got the attention of the Chief Nursing Officer and eventually reached the ears of the CEO who was supportive and committed to making a change for all of their patients. Carron continued to follow-up on a regular basis, and eventually was successful! Because of Carron’s persistence and dedication to her families and the commitment from the medical provider, this provider has now put policies and practices in place so ALL patients, including those covered by Medicaid, are provided immunizations. What started as a home visitor trying to find resources for a family resulted in a major medical provider changing their policy on immunizations and leveling the field for some of our most vulnerable families. |
"Amy Gorton Rocks" |
Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year Winner!
Amy Gorton Easter Seals Midwest Nurturing Parenting Program Amy was nominated twice by her team for her dedication to their clients and her staff. She has been dedicated to making sure her staff are provided with all the necessary materials and supplies needed to provide to their families; especially during COVID-19. In addition, Amy has demonstrated dedication to creatively addressing challenges and barriers, and consistently works to improve practices and procedures to meet the ever-changing needs of their families and their program.
Amy is timely with explanations, wants to see her staff and families succeed, and creates a welcoming and peaceful environment. Amy was described as being kind, caring, compassionate, and empathetic. Amy's support of her team has lead to longevity; which in turn helps enrolled families have much needed stability and consistency. Amy gives 110% into the mission of helping parents succeed and watching her staff grow and help families. Amy’s staff feel lucky to have her as a supervisor and feel their families are lucky to have her in their lives as well. Amy was described as the glue that keeps the program together and she should be honored for her 12+ years in home visitation. |
KCSL's creative ideas have been a catalyst for many discussions and strategies that were implemented throughout Promise 1000 to proactively address barriers and challenges created by the pandemic. |
Creative COVID-19 Engagement Strategies
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Congratulations to our Nominees for Home Visitor of the Year!
George Vega with Turner Parents as Teachers
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Temple Baxley with KC Great Circle - HFA
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Congratulations to our Nominees for Supervisor of the Year!
Jenni Summers with Kansas Children's Services League (KCSL)
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Mindy Kissner with CAPA
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Past Winners and Nominees (2018-2019)
Pictured Left to Right: Alena Rodriguez (Home Visitor of the Year) with CAPA, Mindy Kissner with CAPA (Home Visiting Supervisor of the Year), Lacey Law with Kansas City Kansas Parents as Teachers (Supervisor Nominee), Nene Nave with Kansas City Kansas Parents as Teachers (Home Visitor Nominee), Amy Gorton with Easter Seals Midwest (Supervisor Nominee). Home Visitor Nominees not pictured: Carron Miesner with Easter Seals Midwest and Trudy Lewis with Children's Mercy Healthy Families America