Educare Thought Leadership

Educare in the Field: 2021-2022

October 17, 2022

In the Educare Network, we are active participants in the early childhood education field, contributing data and expertise to ongoing research, advocacy and practice work. Our partnerships at the national, state and local levels help improve widespread access to quality early care and education, while building stronger relationships with other early childhood champions to advance our collective mission.

From guest speakers to panelists, conference presentations to publications, here’s how Educare leaders have contributed to the early childhood education field over the 2021-2022 school year.

Conferences & Convenings

 

    • Cynthia Jackson (Educare Network, Start Early) served as an invited speaker at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference on the topic of “Toward an Anti-Racist Workforce: Case Studies and Tools to Support Racial Equity Educator Development.” She reprised this topic alongside partners from New Haven Children’s Ideal Learning District and Trust for Learning at the 2022 Early Childhood Education Workforce Convening, hosted by the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center. March/April 2022

       

    • Danielle Jordan (Educare Chicago) shared the story of Educare Chicago and the assets, strengths and realities that have shaped the community at Children at Risk’s annual convening, The Future of Children: Ending Childhood Poverty. This virtual summit focused on addressing the root causes of childhood poverty and offered attendees a better understanding of the holistic picture of income inequity in America.

 

    • Jessica Haremza Diop (Educare Network, Start Early) and Kiyana Morgan (Educare Washington, D.C.) delivered a conference presentation at the 2022 NAEYC Professional Learning Institute, titled “A Key to Staff Retention: Intentional Onboarding with the Essential Practices of Educare.”

 

Webinar Panelists & Discussants 

    • Mindy Zapata (Educare Arizona) served as a panelist on a webinar titled “The Values of Early Childhood,” sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families. The webinar discussed the Biden-Harris administration’s American Families Plan to build back better and how the proposal would improve compensation and working conditions for the early childhood sector. September 2021

 

    • Kayla Frawley (Educare Denver) participated in a discussion hosted by the Alliance for Early Success on how states are working to include parents in their policy development and advocacy strategy. She also shared the work of the Parent Ambassadors program and other ways Clayton Early Learning has developed enriching relationships with families and advanced efforts to engage parents and community members in policy and advocacy.

 

    • Dr. Geoffrey Nagle (Educare Denver) spoke at a Clayton Early Learning webinar on fostering early relational health for young children, discussing how Clayton’s whole child, whole family approach helps develop and sustain nurturing relationships. November 2021

 

 

 

Publications

 

    • Dr. Daryl Greenfield (Educare Miami) and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a new consensus volume titled “Science and Engineering in Preschool through Elementary Grades: The Brilliance of Children and the Strength of Educators.” This report provides strong advocacy for the role of science and engineering in young children’s learning and development; the need for greater support for these efforts at the national, state and local levels (including greater alignment between early childhood and K-5); the role of culture in learning; and equity and justice in science and engineering education.