Educare Omaha teacher speaks at congressional briefing
July 07, 2015
A preschool teacher from Educare Omaha at Indian Hill shared her expertise at a congressional briefing on early childhood education on June 17 in Washington, DC. Jane Boulter, who has worked for Educare for six years, talked about the core features of Educare and our research results that show how our model prepares children for success in kindergarten and beyond.
The congressional briefing was hosted by the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, the Economic Policy Institute and First Focus. More than 75 congressional representatives, legislative staffers and advocates attended the event. Other panelists were Emma Garcia from Economic Policy Institute, Rob Grunewald from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and Miriam Calderon from BUILD Initiative.
The panelists discussed the findings in Inequalities at the Starting Gate, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute. The report explores gaps in school readiness skills such as math, reading and executive function that are evident in children from different socio-economic backgrounds. Boulter said she sees first-hand how high-quality early education prepares children for school.
“I personally love working at Educare and seeing the difference it makes for our families and students,” Boulter said. “My goal is always to teach the students how to learn and be independent thinkers.” Boulter said she is passionate about helping children get the right start in school because she knows how important early experiences are for their development. And that engaging parents is just as important as teaching children.
“I also want to see my parents become advocates for their children and be actively involved with their education,” Boulter said. “Parents always want what is best for their child. So showing them the impact doing just a few activities can have helps them understand their importance.”
The event featured a screening of a documentary, Ready for Kindergarten, produced by Nebraska Loves Public Schools and featuring Educare. For more information, read Educare: A Model for Early Childhood Policymaking by First Focus.
