Julissa Abad wanted to be a pediatric nurse or doctor. But as a teenager living in the Dominican Republic, Abad spent time in a local classroom helping her sister who was an elementary school teacher. Going into healthcare didn’t work out, but teaching did.

“I learned to teach, and I loved the kids,” Abad recalls. “This is one of the reasons I’m in the field of education. I love kids, and I like to help others.” 

Today, Abad is the owner of The Garden’s Stars Childcare, a family child care program in Lawrence, Mass., and she’s a member of the fifth cohort of Strategies for Children’s Advocacy Network. 

Abad doesn’t just love teaching, she loves learning. She has an associate’s degree in early education from the Urban College of Boston, and earlier this month she earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Merrimack College. She has also spent years studying English, proudly progressing from speaking no English to joining Strategies for Children on a recent visit to the State House and speaking to elected officials. 

As an early educator and an advocate, Abad is eager to see a stronger system of mental health care embedded into the state’s early childhood system—and she’d like to see much more support for children with special needs and for their parents. 

Moving to the United States and helping others

Abad moved to the United States in 2008 with other members of her family. She started out working as a home health aide, a job that satisfied her passion for helping people.

“This passion to help people is because I’m a Christian, and I grew up in a Christian family. I don’t know if God gave me that passion, but as a little girl, I wanted to help people. If they needed something, I wanted to get it. I feel good when I help others. When somebody needs help, I forget about me and do what they need. So maybe, God did put this passion in my heart.”

Eventually, the patient Abad was caring for moved back to the Dominican Republic, leaving Abad to reconsider her options. 

“I thought that if I could have my own family child care program, I would have more time to be with my own children and have more time to be at home.” 

Being an early educator has brought Abad a great deal of joy. She enjoys watching kids play and learn. She sees her job as providing an early education as well as a caring, loving environment.

“I love all the kids, but when I have a kid who has special needs, I know that child needs more attention, caring, and affection,” she says, especially if the child has had traumatic experiences. Currently there’s one child in Abad’s program who has special needs. 

Where does Abad’s drive come from?

“My Mom is also a Christian, and she has been an example for me, and I want to be an example for the kids I take care of. Because when you’re an educator the kids see what you do. And if you do something bad, they see it. So as an educator, I’m always working to do good things.” 

Joining the Advocacy Network

“Paula told me about the Advocacy Network,” Abad explains. She had joined the nonprofit organization ECCHO-Latino, a group of Spanish-speaking early educators, and she met the organization’s founders—and Advocacy Network graduates—Paula A. Echeverri Durango and Harold Blanco.

The result: Abad’s passion has expanded to include both caring for children and advocating for them and their families. 

“For my Advocacy Network project, I am trying to create a community for parents who have children with special needs. I want to help parents understand that a special need is not something bad.”

Abad says the community will likely be online. And to keep this parent community informed, Abad will draw on resources from colleagues and from the Federation for Children with Special Needs. 

“Sometimes I tell parents to go to the doctor because I can see that their child is struggling with something. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t diagnose it. But I can tell the parents that what I’m seeing is different, that there are red flags in a child’s development.

“Sometimes when I say this to a parent, they say, No, my kid doesn’t have any problems. That’s why I want to create a community: to open parents’ minds and expand their knowledge. I want parents to understand that the more they know about special needs, the better it will be for their kids’ development.”

Advocacy Advice 

What was an appealing part of the Advocacy Network for Abad? 

“Strategies for Children’s Advocacy Network is a big community that helps people to understand that we have the right to advocate for kids. We have the right to raise the voices of kids. Through the Advocacy Network, you know that you have the power and encouragement to do this. And through community, I can advise other colleagues. 

“Somtimes you’re afraid to do something, but you can do it. You can speak what you feel. You can have confidence. Even though I’m very shy. Even though my English, I know, is not perfect, the Advocacy Network told me, You can do it.”

What does Abad want policymakers to know about her work? 

“Kids with special needs do need more official attention. And educators need more resources so they can work with parents and explain to parents how they can help their kids.”

Abad is also holding herself to a high standard. She plans to share her knowledge about special needs with policymakers so that they have all the information they need to make the best choices for children.

“Educators must be prepared to provide good experiences for kids,” she says, and for her that means learning as much as she can about child development, educating as many parents as she can, and reaching out to as many policymakers as she can—all of which should supercharge Abad’s passion for reaching out and helping others.