Georgia Home Visiting Program Staff Spotlight
July 2018
Honoring our shining stars who make a difference for Georgia's families.
Cisilia Lenz
First Steps Coordinator
Rockdale County Public Schools
To those who know her, Cisilia "Cici" Lenz is compassionate and dedicated to helping Rockdale County families. Cici began her career with Rockdale County Public Schools as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) support teacher at the middle school level and transitioned to the high school level working in the office as an attendance clerk and secretary to the principal. Recognizing a need, Cici taught herself Spanish and now speaks the language fluently. In July 2015, she became the First Steps Coordinator.
"Cici is a fearless screener who has never met a stranger."
- Jennifer Everhart, Supervisor
Cici enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, traveling, reading and shopping at consignment stores. She is also health conscious and enjoys biking and exercising.
With her warm smile and mission to helping, Cici has cultivated many important relationships within the community, including the Georgia Division and Family and Children Services, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office, the Rockdale County Health Department, Refugee Pregnancy Center, and One Heart Ministries Food Bank where she screens families.
"Cisilia is reliable and compassionate. She truly believes
in what she does. "
Pamela Coop, Early Learning Center Supervisor
Changing Lives One Family at a Time
It is not unusual for Cici to screen families in their home as it's the place they feel most comfortable. She once met with a single dad who had just moved to Rockdale County. During the screening, Cici noticed his family had no furniture and learned that they had very limited food. Cici coordinated a ride to the local food bank and reached out to her contacts in the community to find a bed and living room furniture for the family.
Cici always goes the extra mile with the families she serves. Cici screened a young mom who had recently left an abusive situation and moved to Rockdale County where she had no family support.  Cici took the young woman under her wing, provided her with community resources and linked her to a church that helped her relocate to an area where she had family support. Cici continued to follow up with the mom to ensure the resources she had were meeting her needs.
"Cici is a go-getter and passionate about her work with families."
Shauna Miller, Early Learning Coordinator
Fostering Community Partnerships
Cici has worked to foster and strengthen ties between Friends to Amigos, the career academy's outreach program to the Hispanic community and their Parents as Teachers/First Steps community program. She has also started working closely with Unidos Somos United, a local group that provides support to Rockdale's Latino families. By partnering with the ESOL coordinator for the county, Cici hopes to assist Spanish speaking families with kindergarten Transition.

Each month Cici also attends the Parent Seminars at Rockdale County Public Schools to screen families and to provide support to the Parents as Teachers home visiting team.
We recognize Cisilia Lenz for her remarkable accomplishments and we are grateful for her dedication to Georgia's children and families.
First Steps Georgia
The mission of First Steps is to provide universal support services for all expectant parents and children from birth to five years of age and their families. First Steps services include providing families with a localized community resource guide and referrals to relevant resources. For more information about First Steps, please contact Kate Teague, First Steps Georgia State Coordinator, at  kate.teague@uga.edu .
Do you know someone who belongs in the spotlight? We want to hear from you! Please contact Maggie Schmidt at mdschmidt@uga.edu.