Q and A with Ken Smythe-Leistico, Assistant Director of the Office of Child Development, selected honoree for 2013′s 40 under 40
Ken is an invited national speaker, trainer and advisor to school districts on transition practices.
“Kindergarten is a big damn deal!”
The Office of Child Development would like to extend its congratulations to our very own Ken Smythe-Leistico for being selected out of a pool of 220 nominees as one of 2013′s 40 under 40. The 40 under 40 program was established Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP and for fifteen years, has been annually recognizing 40 leaders in the Pittsburgh region whose commitment, passion, diversity, creativity and vision have enriched the Pittsburgh region. Congratulations to Ken!
Read Ken’s profile that was published in the magazine here.
So how did it happen and why was he recognized?
We conducted a Q&A to get a sense of what it really means to be from amidst the 40 under 40.
- When and how did you find out that you were a nominee?
A good friend and community partner (and former Office of Child Development student) contacted me to say she was nominating me and wanted to get additional information. About a month later I received the official word from the staff at Pittsburgh Magazine that I had been selected as a finalist.
- How did you feel?
I felt very humbled. Not being from the region originally, I’ve come to see Pittsburgh as a place of loyalty and connectedness. The collective good work that led to this award has made it feel like a celebration of the amazing people I have had the chance to work with and for in the last 7 years.
- When and how did you find out you were selected?
In early August, I received an email that said I had been selected (which was very exciting) followed by the phrase, “pending fact checking; don’t tell people just yet” (which was a bit scary). The fact checking was a simple process of verification and at the end of August I receive the “it’s official” announcement.
- What do you think you’ve done in your career that has led you up to this?
Working in a field filled with colleagues collectively working to improve the lives of families and children in the greatest need, it can be hard to know where your ideas begin and another’s ideas end. I think the ability to listen to the diverse voices of all that impact change and find common ground in an effort that we can all get excited about is something that led to this recognition. It was going door-to-door in the community to hear about barriers from parents, talking with teachers to understand their challenges, and learning from district personnel what were the system restraints that resulted in a “win” for everyone.
- Did you expect it?
Not for me but I did expect it for our team. There are so many hard working people that are the reason why Ready Freddy is what it is today. My co-workers at the Office of Child Development are amazing, the community partners who have locked arms to connect with families are irreplaceable, the teachers, principals, and staff who have said we need to make this an easier and more engaging to start Kindergarten – all are the reason Ready Freddy has been successful.
- What makes you passionate about the work that you do?
From the little girl who wanted nothing more than a chance to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” with someone that we found during outreach, to the boy with the speech impediment that we were able to identify early enough to enlist the proper services that boosted his confidence before school started, to the moms and dads with the glint of fear in their eye but with the strength to say I want my child to do the best they can in school, to the teacher that said I want to make the first day of school more exciting but how; to me it is the real people, the real stories, the real challenges and ultimately the real successes that keeps me passionate about doing this work.
- Tell us the story of how Ready Freddy came into being?
In tackling several issues (gap in school readiness skills, low enrollment rates, low first day attendance numbers, and a disconnect between families and schools), we knew that we needed a pathway to bolster the public perception about the importance of Kindergarten. Families that felt apprehensive or disenfranchised needed something positive that they could feel a sense of hope and empowerment about. A simple green frog that became emblazoned on everything from t-shirts, to posters, to billboards, to pizza boxes celebrating the move into school. Like a first date, when the first experiences are warm and welcoming it sets a standard for high expectations. In simple words, we put the “kind” back in kindergarten.
- What was the most challenging thing you encountered?
The greatest challenge is that while we can glean from what worked in one neighborhood and transpose that to another region, what works best varies from community to community. It is not always so much about the “what” we do but the process of how that “what” comes to be. The most effective results have occurred when a group of partners (teachers, parents, and community) collectively identify strategies that work best for them. Thus the challenge is to make it successful anywhere, it takes work and not a simple replication of one or two strategies.
- If you could give advice to the whole world, what would It be?
Innovation is not the simple task of melding multiple solutions but the painstaking process of understanding the problem so deeply that a new illumination arises.