Ramona Ozment

Meet Ramona Ozment – a teacher’s aide at Child Development Resources’ Early Head Start at First Steps Child Care & Development Center, in Williamsburg, VA. After moving to the United States from the Philippines, Ramona followed her passion for teaching and serving children to become a child care professional.
Even with a bachelor’s degree in communications under her belt, Ramona understood she needed a specific set of skills to be an early educator. When she began working at First Steps Child Care center, Ramona was encouraged by her employers to continue her education and training to increase her skills. She is currently enrolled in a career studies certificate program at Thomas Nelson Community College. In addition to giving her a new perspective on early learning, Ramona said the community college coursework “gives me confidence when applying new skills and strategies in the classroom.”
As a recipient of Pathfinders scholarships for both Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters, Ramona is thankful that her tuition costs were fully covered by the scholarship. She believes continuing education is a must for childcare providers and it is important to stay “updated and fully informed about early childhood,” says Ramona.
Eventually, Ramona would like to pursue a bachelor’s degree in early education and plans to continue teaching young children because she is confident that her work is positively impacting the lives of children.