Press Releases

Rebecca (Becky) Cuevas Appointed As ACES Head Start Director to Lead ACES Work on $9.1 Million Federal Grant

July 27th, 2020

North Haven, CT:  Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) appointed Rebecca (Becky) Cuevas as its new Head Start Director. She will be leading ACES work with partners Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), Catholic Charities, and The Village for Families and Children to manage federal Head Start and Early Head Start Programs in Hartford and Middlesex Counties. The partnership is the result of a $9.1 million award received by CREC to support and develop Head Start and Early Head Start programs. ACES Head Start and Head start programs and its partnerships have established relationships to ensure early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive development, preschool, and family support services for children living in Middlesex county.

 “We are thrilled to be able to continue to deliver the work to our Head Start and Early Head Start community members in Middlesex County and the ACES region,” said Executive Director Tom Danehy, of ACES, the regional education service center serving the New Haven region. “Providing equity for those in poverty and in need of educational supports helps to level the playing field regardless of one’s racial, ethnic or economic status so that all have access to education, a key to life-long upward mobility. Thanks to Becky Cuevas, our team at Middlesex County Early Head Start, and CREC, ACES will continue  and expand this work.”

 Rebecca (Becky) Cuevas was one of the original team members to implement the Early Head Start program. She has over 30 years of experience working with families, early education, and home visiting initiatives in CT. Ms. Cuevas  has long believed that parents play an essential role in their children’s lives and that families thrive when they feel supported within their communities.

 ACES Middlesex County Early Head Start has operated in 6 communities in Middlesex County, providing high-quality home visiting programming dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families since 2010. These comprehensive services are driven by the belief that early care and education are an investment in creating a successful future for children.  The program sees parents as the child’s first teacher and provides educational opportunities where the home becomes the child’s primary learning environment. Community partnerships are key to the success of the program and the families it serves. The comprehensive services model used by ACES Early Head Start and Head Start elevate the focus of services and supports on what parents and caregivers need to feel successful” shared Ms. Cuevas.

 Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is the regional educational service center for New Haven and parts of Middlesex Counties. Established in 1969, ACES strives each day to fulfill its vision of creating an equitable and socially just world, one life at a time. ACES serves its members districts and others through an ever-growing array of programs, services and schools that meet the needs of a changing educational landscape. As a school district, ACES operates three magnet and eight special education schools. ACES services range from transportation, professional development and school improvement services, technology, translation, international, security, and occupational and physical therapy. ACES operates the Open and Magnet School Parent Choice programs for New Haven County. Its programs include a federally funded Early Head Start Program and ACES ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically disabled adults ages 21 and older. For more information, go to www.aces.org.