Rebecca Bishop Ware, M. Ed. is new Director of Early Childhood Services at Head Start/Early Head Start of Bennington County

Rebecca Bishop Ware, M.Ed. will take on the role of Director of Early Childhood Services at Head Start/Early Head Start of Bennington County when current director Betsy Rathbun-Gunn retires in December. Rebecca has served United Counseling Service’s (UCS) Head Start/Early Head Start program for 26 years, starting part-time as a teacher assistant in 1997 and working her way to Assistant Director, a role she held for seven years.

“Rebecca is an incredible asset to our organization,” said Lorna Mattern, Executive Director of United Counseling Service. “She will continue to support early childhood educators and ensure we meet the developmental, emotional and educational needs of our youngest children.”

“I enjoy developing managers, working with our team, and having the best program possible for our children, families and staff,” says Bishop Ware. “I look forward to reinvigorated and new community partnerships, especially coming out of the pandemic. I would like to balance stability in the program that Betsy has led so expertly for over 30 years, along with some new and fresh ideas.”

Beginning her career as a teacher assistant, she quickly moved into management and since 2016 has served as Assistant Director of Early Childhood Services. She received her bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Program Administration from Champlain College. She attended the Snelling Center for Government Early Childhood Leadership Institute in 2016 and the UCLA Head Start Management Fellows Program in 2023.
“If anyone wants to learn more about Head Start, I would like to have a conversation,” says Bishop Ware. “We love to talk about partnerships and ways that Head Start can be at the table in our community.”

United Counseling Service (UCS) is a private, non-profit community mental health center that has been an essential part of Bennington County’s integrated healthcare system since 1958. The organization has been designated as a Center of Excellence by Vermont Care Partners. UCS promotes healthy lifestyles through all its programs and offers care at 15 different facilities, including two primary outpatient facilities in Bennington and Manchester. UCS provides outpatient counseling and addiction services, emergency mental health services, extensive rehabilitation services, home and school-based services, employment services for people recovering from mental illness or with developmental disabilities, and early childhood services. For more information visit www.ucsvt.org.

Photo: Rebecca Bishop Ware, Director of Early Childhood Services