Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Vega-Mavec, Ed.D..
Hi Amanda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey into education was never part of the plan — yet in many ways, it’s brought me full circle. After graduating from college in the Boston area, I had my heart set on working for a nonprofit in Texas supporting survivors of domestic violence. Just a couple of weeks before graduation, though, I received a call that the organization needed to add a position, wanted me for it, but didn’t have the budget to bring me on. My mom — now a retired elementary school principal — offered some practical advice: teach for a year while I figured out my next steps. Texas had a strong need for bilingual teachers, and she was confident I’d find a position quickly. She was right. I was hired as a 5th-grade bilingual teacher, and after that first year, I discovered I wanted to keep teaching.
Ready for a new adventure, I moved back to Boston, where I spent six years as an English Language Learners teacher while earning my master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Eventually, I found my way to Kansas City, continued teaching, and decided to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership — all while stepping into my first principal role.
Over time, my path led me to a curriculum specialist position and then to serving as director of a nonprofit dual-language early education center. I was still deeply rooted in education, but had also found my way to the nonprofit world I’d always been drawn to. That journey ultimately brought me to where I am today: Executive Director of Start at Zero.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am incredibly grateful that, while my journey hasn’t always been easy, I have never walked it alone. Supportive family, friends, and colleagues have carried me through the toughest seasons — none more demanding than the years I spent earning my two advanced degrees, particularly my doctorate.
In the time it took me to complete my doctoral program, life didn’t slow down for a moment. I met my husband, fell in love, got engaged, got married, and welcomed our daughter into the world — all while completing eight additional master’s-level courses on top of my doctoral requirements and stepping into my first principal role. It was, to say the least, a full season of life.
Through it all, my husband, family, friends, and colleagues showed up in the most meaningful ways: reminding me that life happens in chapters that eventually come to a close, encouraging me to delegate (something I’m still working on), and urging me to give myself grace. My husband, in particular, took on the majority of responsibilities at home, and I am deeply thankful for that.
As an educator, I have always believed in the power of access to education and the support systems that help students cross the finish line. Being on the receiving end of that kind of support was a humbling adjustment — but it made me a better educator, and for that, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I serve as the Executive Director of Start at Zero, where we partner with parents and caregivers to promote healthy early childhood development for children prenatal to age 5 in Kansas City. We are proud to be a Parents as Teachers® Blue Ribbon Affiliate. Our hallmark program, Home Visiting, brings the Parents as Teachers® curriculum directly to families — in their homes or in community spaces — through the dedicated work of our Family and Community Support Workers.
We recently opened an exciting new social enterprise: the Start at Zero Play Café, a welcoming space where children and families come to learn, be celebrated, and thrive. Our programming also includes Developmental Screenings, Group Connections — community playgroups and interactive learning experiences rooted in the Kaleidoscope Play & Learn® model — and Parent Café, a community conversation series designed to support and connect parents.
The Play Café, located at 56th and Troost, is truly a labor of love. Our team may end the day tired, but we leave feeling fulfilled and deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve our community. As a small, grassroots organization, everything we do is personal — our families, community members, and partners helped shape this space as it came to life, and they continue to keep it going. When you walk through our doors, our hope is simple: that you feel like you’re stepping into an extension of home. We have also intentionally kept prices low and offer Free Weeks, so that all can access the space.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
As a nonprofit, we are at our best when we work alongside others. We are grateful for the financial support of several local foundations that understand just how critical the first five years of a child’s life truly are — did you know that 90% of a child’s brain develops during this window? It’s a powerful reminder of why this work matters so deeply.
To fulfill our mission, we also collaborate with fellow nonprofits, including Front Porch Alliance, Turn the Page KC, and Show Me Schools KC — each of whom shares our commitment to supporting children and families. We also partner with Starting Early, an organization dedicated to strengthening early childhood professionals.
But partnership, for us, extends beyond the nonprofit world. We are proud to be neighbors and community builders alongside the small businesses on our block on Troost. That looks like collaborating on goods and services with High Hopes Ice Cream and Salon 55, helping one another with small repairs, supporting each other’s work, keeping our shared outdoor spaces clean — and yes, sometimes asking our neighbors to taste-test our latest recipes. These relationships bring me genuine joy, and they are a reminder that community is built one connection at a time.
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