Blog
Blog
Meet Anna Mercer-McLean
Welcome to our 50th anniversary series, where we highlight the exceptional individuals driving the success of Early Years . Today, we invite you to meet Anna Mercer-McLean, former board member at Early Years. Join us as we explore Anna’s journey with Early Years, uncover her perspective on our organization and celebrate her contributions over the years.
What is your current position?
I am currently the director at Community School for People Under Six in Carrboro. I have been in this position for 32 years.
Can you share a little bit about your professional background?
For my undergraduate degree, I studied business education and earned a bachelor’s in business administration, and I eventually went on to complete a master’s of science in business education. However, it was not my initial plan to go into this field, I originally wanted to teach. I then worked on Duke’s Children’s Campus (a newly built child care center) and helped them with establishing their first enrollment. Meanwhile, I took additional coursework in early childhood education, both at UNC-Chapel Hill and Durham Tech.
Sue Russell, who was co-founder of Community School for People Under Six and the executive director of Early Years, was on the hiring committee when I interviewed and later was hired as director at the Community School in 1991.
How did you first hear of Early Years and why did you choose board membership with Early Years?
When I stepped into my current role as child care director at the Community School for People Under Six, Early Years was the child care resource and referral agency. There were some families at the school receiving scholarships from Early Years’ scholarship program, and we had one teacher in the TEACH program. We even had one of the first teachers under TEACH to get both an associate’s and bachelor’s degree! Although it was a long time ago, I chose to be a board member of Early Years because it directly impacted teachers and families in my community, and I was really interested in the research and data that went into Early Years decisions.
What was your first experience with Early Years?
My first encounter with Early Years was during an Orange County early child care directors meeting. Early Years used to host all these meetings, and it was a great way for various directors to connect and collaborate. There was also strong advocacy for salary increases for early childhood educators, as they were well underpaid.
How long did you serve on the board? What did you like best about being on the board?
I served on the board for a couple of years. One of the best parts of being a board member was getting to work with former Early Years President Sue Russell. She was brilliant and always kept up to date on everything going on statewide and nationwide with Early Years.
What did you see as the biggest challenges of the board at this time?
I think that being a nonprofit organization leads to challenges with funding and opportunities for large growth. To combat this challenge, Early Years had to write grant proposals for various early childhood projects. With programs like TEACH and Child Care WAGE$®, seeking funding through the state required advocating our legislature for Early Years to renew proposals and applications each year.
What was the Early Years project or initiative you were the most passionate about?
Of all the programs, TEACH is my favorite because I have the deepest, longest connection to it. I also am passionate about the WAGE$ program. Interestingly enough, the program does not apply in Orange County anymore, which is something I believe should be a goal to work towards again in the future.
How do you feel Early Years has impacted the field of early care and education?
I believe that Early Years is the role model for what happens across North Carolina and nationwide. The organization’s dedication to leadership and the mission of leading efforts to strengthen accessible and affordable early education by providing support for families and communities involved. They don’t lose sight of the mission!
Early Years is timeless, and people should take the time to appreciate the efforts and projects that have been developed through this organization. Early Years has provided many opportunities for communities all over the state and even nationwide. Thank you for 50 years of service!
-Anna Mercer-McLean
Former board member
