Buffalo-based First Friends Day Care Center, which opened its doors in March 2019, was created to meet the growing demand for high-quality child care in the surrounding community. As a relatively new center, First Friends has provided exceptional early childhood education and care while ensuring they stay aligned with best practices and continuous improvement.
The leadership of Emily Thrasher, the owner of First Friends, has been a driving force behind the center’s success. Emily’s vision for the center is to create a nurturing and educational environment where children can thrive, and her commitment to quality is reflected in the center’s ongoing investments in professional development and best practices. Emily works closely with Tasheika Green, the center’s Director, to ensure that both the staff and the families they serve receive the highest level of care and support. Tasheika plays a key role in the day-to-day operations, overseeing the implementation of the curriculum, fostering a positive work culture, and ensuring that the center meets all regulatory standards while also exceeding the expectations of the families they serve.
One of the key figures supporting their growth has been Quality Improvement Specialist Sara Lamoreaux. In her role, Sara has been able to leverage her expertise to help First Friends enhance the quality of their educational programs. When First Friends adopted a research-based early childhood curriculum, Sara played an essential role in ensuring that the staff had the tools and support they needed to implement the curriculum effectively. Recognizing the importance of proper training, Sara facilitated access to professional development opportunities that guided teachers through the initial stages of becoming familiar with the new approach to early learning.
When considering professional development opportunities, Sara explored the potential for ongoing coaching support for the staff at First Friends. QUALITYstarsNY offers coaching services to help early childhood programs enhance their quality, and when the opportunity became available, Sara took the initiative to connect First Friends with this valuable resource. She worked closely with the center to assess whether coaching would be a beneficial support tool to help teachers apply the curriculum in the classroom.
The center began working with QUALITYstarsNY Program Quality Coach Amy Toy, who used a Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) approach to support the teachers at First Friends. PBC is a research-based coaching model that focuses on providing individualized, hands-on support to help teachers apply best practices in the classroom. Through this model, coaches like Amy work closely with educators to set specific goals, observe classroom practices, provide feedback, and offer ongoing support to ensure that changes are effectively implemented and sustained.
Tatiana Amador, the preschool teacher at First Friends, has expressed her appreciation for Amy’s support through Practice-Based Coaching. With Amy’s guidance, Tatiana was able to confidently integrate the curriculum into her teaching practices. PBC allowed Amy to observe Tatiana’s classroom, offer targeted feedback, and collaborate on strategies to tailor lessons to meet the developmental needs of her preschool students. This process has helped Tatiana enhance her teaching and create a more engaging learning environment for her children.
Similarly, Miriah Folck, the infant room teacher, also benefited from Amy’s coaching through the PBC model. In addition to learning how to apply the curriculum in her infant classroom, Miriah was simultaneously working toward completing her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, a nationally recognized certification for early childhood educators. Amy’s Practice-Based Coaching was instrumental in helping Miriah balance her professional development goals with the demands of implementing a high-quality curriculum for infants. The ongoing feedback and support allowed her to feel more confident in her role and more effective in meeting the needs of her youngest learners.
The combination of a well-established curriculum targeted coaching through Practice-Based Coaching, and ongoing professional development has helped First Friends Day Care Center establish a solid foundation for continuous improvement. With Emily Thrasher’s leadership and Tasheika Green’s hands-on approach to managing the center, along with the expertise of Sara Lamoreaux as a Quality Improvement Specialist and the guidance of Program Quality Coach Amy Toy through Practice-Based Coaching, First Friends has created an environment where both children and educators can thrive.
As First Friends continues to grow and evolve, it remains committed to providing exceptional care and education for the families it serves. Through the collaborative efforts of the staff, coaching resources, and ongoing training, First Friends Day Care Center is making a lasting impact on the lives of children and their families in the community.
Thank you to First Friends Day Care Center, Sara Lamoreaux, and Amy Toy for sharing their story! If you are a QUALITYstarsNY participant interested in coaching, please reach out to your QI Specialist or contact Coaching Manager Tiehia Schonberger: tschonberger@qualitystarsny.org
