Quina Jones’ homebase with Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) is at Dogan Head Start, where she is in her sixth year serving as a teacher aide.

She loves her work.

“I had a calling and so I answered it,” she said.

That personal investment in serving Harris County’s youngest learners has also proved invaluable to helping the Head Start team – it’s why Jones was selected as the May Employee of the Month. Not only does she fill in with different roles at Dogan and adjust on the fly, Jones has continually stepped in to fill staffing shortages at other campuses when needed.

Currently, she’s assisting at Compton Head Start. She started the school year at Coolwood, serving at the division’s newest facility for two months. Jones’ ability to adapt and fill various roles – while maintaining a smile and grace – has not gone unnoticed.

“That’s one of the things that she’s been complimented on from many different facilities,” said Shenekia Hines, Dogan Head Start’s campus manager. “They say, ‘I know it’s out of her comfort zone because she’s not at Dogan.’ But they couldn’t tell if she didn’t want to be there.

“Of course, I know she wants to come back to Dogan but she’s okay with meeting the needs of each center so the organization runs smoothly. She knows that Dogan is home but she still wants Head Start to thrive.”

That is what Jones wants. Before working for HCDE and Head Start, she became familiar with the early childhood education centers as a parent.

Jones grew up on Houston’s east side, running track while attending Furr and Galena Park high schools. After graduation, she worked as a model, doing promotional work and even landing in a few magazines.

Being around the glitz and glamour of hair and makeup led her to explore an interest in studying cosmetology. While in school, her son Camryn was born.

“I needed somewhere to have him and could help him while I continued going to school,” said Jones, who enrolled Camryn at Sheffield Head Start. “As a parent, I loved it because it was helping me. I was already working with him at home, but they enhanced it. They made me feel good as a parent.”

Camryn is now a sophomore at North Shore Senior High School in Galena Park Independent School District. He’s an honor roll student, to which his mother credits Head Start.

“I know they gave him that head start – I know it did,” Jones said. “There were things that I didn’t know to catch that they did. We know the basics – the ABCs, the numbers, the colors – but we forget about the beginning sounds, ending sounds, blending words and all those other things.”

The journey wasn’t always smooth. A few years ago, the family was involved in a severe car accident that nearly halted Jones’ plans. She pivoted and decided to focus all of her energy on Camryn.

In short, it was about him. He plays basketball at North Shore and with his summer team, Houston Hustlers, which means hours in the gym and road trips for Jones

“I’m a basketball mom,” she said. “I like it because it keeps him busy, so let’s go, and I’m seeing the results of him growing. It’s worth it.”

They have two more years in this journey before Camryn plans to enlist in the U.S. Navy, joining cousins who are already serving in the military. At that point, Jones said she’ll put more time back into herself. She may even get back into the modeling scene.

Also still at the forefront is Head Start. Jones prayed about it and a sign pointed her to the organization, which serves more than 1,300 young students and supports language, literacy and social and emotional development.

Jones went to a job fair and after a great first impression, conducted two successful interviews before being hired and assigned to Dogan. Aside from a wearing heels on her first day – she quickly learned those weren’t needed with newborns to 5-year-olds – Jones has proved to be vital for Head Start.

“She is a teacher’s assistant but it’s hard to even categorize her as just a teacher’s assistant,” Hines said. “The way she interacts with kids, they respond to her in ways that some teachers can’t get. She knows that extra little movement or something that they take to.

“Just the way she has her systems in place – nobody can do it like Ms. Jones does it.”

For Jones, she enjoys Dogan because it’s one of the few Head Start centers where staff can see their students after they graduate the program. While many campuses are freestanding or their own facility, Dogan Head Start is contained within Houston Independent School District’s Dogan Elementary School.

So, when students are promoted to kindergarten at Dogan, Jones and fellow staff will still see the students and watch them grow up through fifth grade. This year’s fifth graders are the first set she has seen all the way through.

“I love it,” Jones said. “I can give them candy when I see them. I can give them hugs. If they’re having a bad day, I can pull them to the side, talk to them, give them encouraging words or just anything they may need.

“This little girl – her name is Moesha – her mom passed away and we made these bracelets. She has a bracelet, and I have a bracelet. Now, every time I see her, I ask to see her bracelet and she’ll show me. That’s the cool part about Dogan.”

That’s also why her support at other sites is championed.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones helped at Pugh and Fifth Ward, both of which closed at the end of last school year, and the Humble campus.

She’s also spent time at JD Walker before assisting at both Coolwood and Compton this school year. Jones has managed to get back to Dogan, helping chaperone for two field trips in April during state testing.

“Sometimes it’s difficult for people. Even myself, having to ask if they can go to another center,” Hines said. “But she’ll do it with grace and with a smile. More people appreciate that than you know. To go to another location, to do what you do best and keep moving, that’s one of the reasons she’s gotten her acknowledgement.

“So many people are blessed by her presence and some of these people have never worked with Ms. Jones until now.”

Said Jones: “I did ask if I could go back before the end of the school year so I could see the graduation. At the end of the day, it’s all about the kids and that’s the part I love about this.”