Chayanee Propst | The Educator

BY MARLENA SCHUGT | BLOOM PROGRAM MANAGER

When Chayanee Propst first moved here, it wasn’t quite what she was expecting. While growing up in Thailand in a small village along the Myanmar border, she heard stories and read books about the massive, bustling cities in America like New York and Hollywood. However, when she moved to York on a brisk March morning in 2004, she had many questions about this strange, seemingly quiet town. “I think York County is number one for people’s kindness,” she shares with a smile.

Fortunately, her family in Thailand had instilled in her the value of education and learning, so she began to read books and search online for answers into York’s history. In her search, she discovered York as the First Capital of the United States and soon after found just how beautiful the county and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was. She saw this beauty firsthand three days after the move, where she experienced the genuine kindness of the community. She recalls how her neighbors and husband’s coworkers introduced themselves and gave them a “Welcome to America!” basket, as well as winter weather clothing and boots. “The people in York are really, really friendly,” Chayanee says, and expresses to this day a deep gratitude for their generous actions.

NOBODY IS TOO OLD TO LEARN. EVERYONE CAN LEARN.

She also expresses a deep gratitude to the York County Literacy Council and their classes which helped Chayanee learn English at the age of 40, and to the United Way of York County for supporting her with a scholarship. “Nobody is too old to learn, everyone can learn,” she shares. The scholarship helped to propel her academic career and support her passion of understanding infant and child development. She now holds a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA), an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, a master’s degree in teaching and curriculum from Penn State, and her Pennsylvania Director’s Credential. “It was not easy…coming from a third-world country, but I pushed myself little by little and I knew I could do it. I was not scared to fail or make a mistake, we all make mistakes. But from mistakes you learn,” she shares.

She saw firsthand how powerful education can be and strongly believes education is the key to breaking cycles of poverty. She embodied that belief in her work as an infant teacher at the YWCA for 12 years and since she was promoted to Early Learning Center and Family Engagement Director about a year ago, she has looked for more ways to involve the children’s family in the community and on their academic journey. “I believe in not only being a teacher preparing students, but I believe in (supporting) the family,” Chayanee shares. She encourages field trips for the children to further their education with hands-on experiences at places like Curious Little Playhouse and Keystone Kidspace because “the more they learn and play, the more their brain works.”