Message from our
Board Chair & President
Each year, we make it a priority to highlight one theme we felt was vital to our agency throughout the past twelve months.
After a significant adjustment in how Step Forward served the community in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a long-awaited name change in 2021, we have spent the past few years 2021 and 2022 refocusing.
We spent a lot of time adapting to the new world around us, but also making sure we stayed true to the agency’s purpose in helping people attain self-sufficiency.
Throughout the past few years, Step Forward has been presented with countless opportunities to connect with Cuyahoga County residents in need. Our staff responded to each individual and family, not as employees, but as humans first. The hills we have climbed together along with the optimism Step Forward has witnessed illustrates the strength of our agency during difficult times and it proves that this organization – and the clients we serve – are nothing short of resilient.
Hence, resiliency is what we have decided to emphasize throughout this year’s annual report.
You’ll see resiliency in Brittany McKown, a single, unemployed mother, who first turned to Step Forward for help when she was pregnant and then returned for additional assistance years later.
You’ll see resiliency in Briana Cannada, who wanted to make sure she built a successful future for her children by enrolling each of them in Early Head Start and Head Start.
You’ll recognize the resiliency in Nina Davis, who in her senior years, struggled to maintain basic necessities as inflation and prices for everything increased and her social security checks remained the same.
You’ll see strength in Tracey Williams, who searched high and low for a job for eight years. He is now sharing his story, hoping to inspire someone else, after turning to our agency for assistance and finally securing a maintenance position within Step Forward.
This year, we are proud to report that Step Forward’s resiliency has allowed our programming numbers to return nearly back to normal.
Fifty-seven years in the making, we are more confident now than ever that Step Forward has a clear brand and a consistent voice going forward. As we step into 2023, we are prepared to amplify the momentum of that ongoing mission: transform lives and strengthen communities; one person, one family, one step at a time. We hope you’ll join us in doing so.
We hope you’re as excited about the future as we are.
With gratitude,
Dear Friends,
Kathryn M. Hall
Board Chair
Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm
CEO & President
Our Officers & Directors
Officers
Board Chairperson: Kathryn M. Hall
Vice Chairperson: LaRese Purnell
Treasurer: Brian Gallagher
Secretary: Yomarie Gonzalez
Directors
Cassandra Brown-Collier
Eugenia Cash-Kirkland
Michelle Curry
Deidra Davis
Kira Hewko
Christopher Kelly
Cecil B. Lee
Michael Moore
Jerry Primm
Adam Roth
Judge Michael J. Ryan
Qianna Tidmore
Sherelle L. Tucker
Joyce L. Walker
Help us connect with residents in need and keep up to date with our services on social media.
Leadership Team
Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm, PH.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Derek Cluse
Chief of Staff
Dr. Thea Wilson
Vice President of Children and Families
Douglass Bennett
Vice President of Community Services and External Affairs
Madeline Corchado
Vice President of Human Resources
Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm, PH.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Douglass Bennett
Vice President of External Affairs
Derek Cluse, CPA
Chief of Staff
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Robert Rose
Product Designer
Dr. Thea Wilson
Vice President for Children and Families
By The Numbers
329
Employees serving residents in Cuyahoga County
1,672
Volunteers
Per
Year
25,000
People
Served
Per Year
15
Locations
throughout
Cuyahoga County
59
Cities/Towns
Served
in
Cuyahoga County
Real People
Real Stories
Real Impact
Where We Serve
Baby & Mommy Support
The pregnancy test is positive. You're excited. You're scared. But you turn to Step Forward.
Our agency's Family Development Specialists are ready to help, guide, and make sure you're ready for this next chapter of your life. Through Baby and Mommy Support, our agency offers parents one-on-one consultations, nutritional counseling, and guidance on how to navigate health insurance, choose a hospital, and finding the right doctor.
Expectant mothers learn how to cope with stress, breastfeeding, postpartum depression, and more. Step Forward also connects expectant mothers with important resources to make sure they're equipped when the baby arrives.
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Brianna Preston
Graduated from BAMS
"I loved the resources that Step Forward had to offer. Because I'm a first-time mom, it really helped me a lot!"
The 2021 & 2022 annual BAMS showers connected
56
expectant mothers to support services and baby items in preparation for their newborns
Photos from the 2022 BAMS Baby Shower
BAMS Shower 2022
Early Head Start
Step Forward connects parents and guardians to Early Head Start as soon as their baby is born. Our agency is equipped to offer early childhood education to babies as young as six weeks old, either at your home or at one of our ten sites located throughout Cuyahoga County.
Each center features colorful and inviting classrooms with caring and compassionate educators. Each child will have the opportunity to play with age-appropriate toys, equipment and learning materials. At each location, Step Forward provides necessary items like diapers and formula.
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, at least
83%
of Early Head Start students met or exceeded the expected skill level when participating cooperatively and constructively in group situations
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, at least
85%
of Early Head Start students met or exceeded the expected skill level for exploring and describing spatial relationships and shapes
Head Start
At the age of three, students transition to our Head Start program. Our passionate teachers combine classroom instruction and learning through play to prepare them for kindergarten.
Each child receives individualized observations, and health, dental and nutritional support.
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, at least
91%
of Head Start students met or exceeded the expected skill level for balancing needs and rights of themselves and others
Briana Cannada
Head Start Parent
"I get to see my son get excited about coming to school each day! We feel confident that Head Start will be fundamental in his educational journey."
913
Early Head Start & Head Start students received dental assistance*
1,366
Early Head Start & Head Start students received medical check ups*
1,302
Early Head Start & Head Start students caught up on immunizations*
*Between the 2021-2022 school year
Head Start is offered at home, at one of Step Forward's ten centers, or through partnerships with school districts and childcare centers county-wide.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted classroom instruction in 2020, Step Forward's Head Start is proud to report students are back in the classroom and more eager to learn than ever.