Mother and daughter leading the way at Kids Express

APRIL 5, 2022                                          

COMMUNITY EDUCATION NEWS – Patti Turner, Kids Express site lead at Sanborn Elementary School and Kathy Turner, Kids Express site lead at Chandler Traditional Academy Liberty (CTA Liberty) share a last name. While this could just be a common last name, the two are actually related; they are mother and daughter. While their paths to Kids Express look a bit different, their leadership styles and outlook on the job are incredibly similar.

Patti Turner

Patti Turner started working for the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) when she first started working in Community Education’s preschool programs, based off a recommendation from a former CUSD employee. After her time in preschool, she became a teacher’s aide for kindergarten.  Her next transition within the district led her to her current role at Kids Express.

As a Kids Express site lead, Patti Turner has many of the administrative duties including parent/child check-in, paperwork, and supervision of the Kids Express staff. Since she works at Sanborn, Patti Turner has some additional duties as well. “I have two buses that come from Shumway, and I check them in,” she explained. There is no Kids Express site at Shumway Elementary School, but a bus takes kids from Shumway to Sanborn to participate in Kids Express. Patti Turner is responsible for checking in these kids, too.  

While managing and leading so many children and staff at once can have its challenges, being around great people is so rewarding to Patti Turner. Her favorite part about working at Kids Express is the staff she gets to work with.

Patti Turner never imagined she would work for the same company as her daughter, but she has enjoyed the perks of it. “We get to go to meetings together and we also get to carpool,” she commented.

Kathy Turner

Kathy Turner started working in child care from an early age. “I started working child care when I was a senior in high school,” she recalled. Though working in child care is fun and rewarding, working with kids does not mean the job is boring or easy. Working as a Kids Express site lead is intellectually stimulating due to the constant problem solving and creativity that is necessary to always keep the children safe while finding new ways for them to have fun.

Much like her mother, Kathy Turner thoroughly enjoys the people she gets to work with at Kids Express. Her favorite part about working at Kids Express is the wonderful staff at her site.

Kathy Turner actually found out about the position at Kids Express through her mom. Working for the same company has been fun for the pair, though it is never something she foresaw happening. “I never thought I would work at the same company as my mom— it just happened,” she explained.

In her role as a site lead, Kathy Turner signs the children in, supervises the Kids Express workers at her site, and does the necessary paperwork to keep the program running smoothly. After she signs the kids in, they put their backpacks away, have snack, and go off into various rotations.

Our Family is Yours

The mother-daughter duo has grown into the same role at different school sites. They enjoy various benefits of working with a loved one: having someone to talk to about work who really understands the role, carpooling, and going to meetings together.   

Like mother, like daughter. Both of the Turners would give people considering working for Kids Express the same advice: have patience and always come in with a smile.

Kathy Turner has drawn inspiration from her mother while in this role. “She has inspired me to step up and become a leader,” explained Kathy Turner.

Patti Turner has also found inspiration in her daughter. “She inspires me to have a good day every day,” reflected Patti Turner.

In their free time, the Turners like to go camping and hang out with family.

Enroll your child in Kids Express or apply to be part of our team today! Community Education — where our family is yours.

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