Buntawan Vamnutjinda describes herself as someone who loves to serve others and help them reach their goals. “I see other people’s successes as my triumph,” she says. “Seeing them succeed motivates me to continue my work.”
Helping others succeed is just what Buntawan does in her role leading a stie team as part of Children and Family Services at Community Action Marin’s Hamilton location. Serving approximately 95 infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age children, Hamilton offers parents and families a safe, high-quality early education opportunity and comprehensive services. Buntawan’s role a is to support teachers’ and the staff’s well-being. It is also to ensure the care and cognitive, as well as social-emotional, development of young children. She understands the challenges the staff face given multiple demands in the classroom alongside family needs because she’s been in the classroom working directly with children herself.
Buntawan’s work in early childhood education began in 2002, when she became an infant/toddler and preschool teacher at Cross Cultural Family Center, a non-profit organization in San Francisco. At CCFC, she says,
“I became interested in individual child development, nature versus nurture studies, family studies, diversity and cultural differences, and human development. I got to know how each family’s culture reflects the way they raise their children and what they expect of them, and I understood that different expectations result in different outcomes in a child’s development.”
In 2010, Buntawan brought her passion for child development to Community Action Marin. Her first job was as an Early Head Start teacher. She soon saw a need for someone to provide support, help with problem-solving, and make sure the classrooms had the right staff coverage to meet licensing and Head Start Performance Standards requirements. She stepped up and began taking on more and more responsibility.
Today, Buntawan helps teachers and staff to make sure the program runs smoothly and meets the high-quality expectations of the agency and its funders. She also works to set goals with teachers for their professional development and to identify strategies to achieve better outcomes for the program’s children and families. She describes her feelings about working as part of a team of five site leaders for Community Action Marin’s Children and Family Services:
“I’m proud to be part of an organization that helps others succeed in life and have a better outlook for their families. When we say we’re ‘in your corner,’ we mean it!”
Buntawan believes that her support of Hamilton’s teachers and families has benefits that extend well beyond the school. “When people know that their children are learning and developing, that they are safe in and in good care, they can fully participate in their work, contributing to the economic health of the entire county.”
In her spare time, Buntawan likes to walk and to read. And she continues to learn and develop her own skills by taking classes on things she wants to know more about—most recently, a course on optimistic leadership.
Buntawan, you are already an optimistic leader and you inspire so many daily. We are proud of you and all you contribute to Hamilton, our agency, and our community!
To learn more about Children and Family Services, or enroll a child, visit our website.