Today we’d like to introduce you to Jody Levitt.
Hi Jody, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began my career in Canton Ohio as Director of the local Junior Achievement organization. For 23 years, I was responsible for not- for-profit operations of a 3-county area to provide economic education programs that build financial literacy, work readiness & entrepreneurship skills for kindergarten through grade 12 students. Ensuring revenue through management of fundraising activities, building relationships with both business and education leadership, oversight of staff and accountability to local board of directors. We consistently exceeded state and national averages for cost per student and staff per student ratios. The team managed a relocation project to include sale of our facility, secured grant funding to ensure building expense was 100% secured prior to groundbreaking. I designed and oversaw the construction of our new facility from beginning to end. Maintained student reach of over 10,000 and managed volunteers in excess of 800 individuals annually. Twelve times recognized with top performer award for program growth, program quality and customer satisfaction, financial solvency and management effectiveness.
My next career took me to Stark State College, engaging in two distinct roles, both dedicated to building relationships outside the college walls. As Regional and Ohio Fuel Cell Education Coordinator, I managed outcomes based on the goals and objectives of the National Science Foundation Great Lakes Fuel Cell Education partnership. A grant funded initiative to provide innovative solutions to advancing fuel cell education and alternative energy training in the region; develop and manage a clearinghouse (website) of curriculum resources; build partnerships between business and education leaders to foster internships, externships, professional and economic development; created and supported a program of professional development opportunities as well as establishing articulation agreements at multiple education levels.
Adding new responsibilities, I served as Interim Workforce & Economic Development Coordinator. Selected by college leadership to design and oversee the decentralization process of contract training and community education division of the college. This role necessitated working with all divisions across college to train and support these new functions. It also required that I provide leadership and guidance to division liaisons, oversee marketing efforts, and serve as first point of contact with the public.
Moving to South Carolina, I looked for a place to serve my community and found The Children’s Center. As Executive Director, I serve as the chief operations officer, in charge of the operations of the organization and the services we provide. I am responsible for the overall direction of the staff to ensure the highest quality programming available. I also manage and support all fundraising efforts conducted by the Board and am involved in many early learning and service organizations throughout the Lowcountry.
I have actively participated in community service/volunteer roles throughout my career, including Rotary in Canton OH and Hilton Head Island SC, church activities, local chamber boards, community advisory groups, school sports and activity committees and community service groups.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Professionally I have been blessed with great organizations for which to work. Each has offered new and different responsibilities and learning opportunities. I have grown with each, had to learn new and different missions and service groups with each place. There are always struggles, how will we raise enough money, who can we recruit for board membership and leadership. Can our staff extend and grow into a cohesive team? Each opportunity for growth has been an opportunity to make a real impact in other people’s lives in a positive way.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Children’s Center. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At The Children’s Center, we support our community by enabling parents to fully participate in the local workforce and ensuring every child is ready to achieve success upon entering kindergarten. We do this by providing affordable, high quality early childhood education and childcare for working families. The Children’s Center has the second longest non-profit tenure and service to the local community. The Children’s Center was founded in 1967 by Reverend Isaac Wilborn in response to a need for early education amongst children from working class families on Hilton Head Island. Wilborn gathered a group of concerned citizens and on May 26, 1967, the Child and Youth Development Center was born. Over 59 years later, the organization’s mission has not changed. We still exist to provide the working families across the Lowcountry with affordable and accessible early education and childcare services. We currently serve over 120 families from Beaufort and Jasper counties – and beyond.
The Children’s Center, the only non-profit center, to serve infants and toddlers on Hilton Head Island and the demand exceeds supply. This results in parents not returning to work or the necessity to hire expensive private care until an opening is available. Ultimately, when parents are unable to return to the workforce this drastically impacts the economic vitality of the region. It impedes economic development by handcuffing efforts to recruit new industry to the area and increases the need for additional social and public funded services to support under or unemployed persons. Why does this matter to the children? Brain development is greatest from birth to age three. Science tells us that babies form 700 new neural connections per second during their first year of life. Those little brains are really working hard, and the quality of those connections is as important as the number.
The Children’s Center addresses poverty at both ends of the age spectrum. Parents require employment and children deserve high-quality early education to enter kindergarten, ready to be successful. Laying the foundation for success at the earliest years of a child’s development has been proven as critical, especially for those children growing up in low-income households. From birth to age five, the brain develops faster than at any other time of life. Early brain development has a lasting impact on a child’s ability to learn and achieve throughout their lives. According to author, pediatrician and early childhood educator, Dr. Laura Jana, “the opportunity for foundational brain building begins right from day one. The entire period leading up to toddlerhood and extending several years past it – specifically, between birth and age five years – offers us an unparalleled window of opportunity to facilitate the assembly of an invaluable set of life-enhancing twenty-first-century skills that will serve our children well throughout their entire lives.”
In today’s world most parents must be actively employed to meet the growing expense of their family needs, including food, housing, transportation, insurance, etc. It is critical that children have a place that is safe, engaging and loving while their parents are at work. The high cost of childcare and concerns about care quality are confusing to parents. Infant and toddler care is more expensive than care for preschool children. Cost combined with diminished availability have parents struggling to find a place for their children while maintaining employment. Childcare is an issue an increasing number of mainstream economists are concerned about, impacting long-term labor shortages. It is more critical for low-income families; women too are disproportionally affected.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Childcare is not just a short-term necessity but a key driver for long-term sustainability across multiple sectors. It enhances economic resilience, social stability, and environmental stewardship by supporting the well-being and development of children, families, and communities. Investing in early childhood education programs is a strategic move that fosters a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous society for future generations.
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