The Early Childhood Summit, in your words
| By Mike Tenbusch - Apr 23, 2010 3:16:15 PM ET |
We have 240,000 children under the age of five in Southeastern Michigan. Seventy thousand live in poverty. And 40,000 of those children live in one of just 8 neighborhoods. There are tremendous issues facing these families, but also tremendous opportunity. The Early Childhood Summit was the first step to making a lasting impact for these children.
Collaboration is often the first step and Denise D. summed it up perfectly. She said:
“Having the opportunity to network with policy makers, funders, and program operators who are all dedicated to early child development was very beneficial. Too often, we remain in silos. Finding common goals and missions enhances collaboration in the spirit of one mission: that children enter school ready to learn.”
Cynthia S. echoed her comments: “I really enjoyed the summit. The part I like the most was the networking and sharing of ideas.”
In addition, Brenda J. wrote: “The summit was very inspiring. To see leaders collaborate was awesome. We have to take whom we have and do what we can. I believe what I saw was a movement to help our children grow up successfully. I was glad to be in attendance and I will do what I can to spread the word to others.”
Aside from the networking opportunities, we felt it was important to hear from the real heroes – the parents and caregivers who do this work every day. I was thrilled so many of you agreed, and Nancy G. wrote, “It was the parents that touched me the most. Hearing their words sent a clear message that you are on the right page, making a difference one child at a time.”
Many of you agreed that the summit was inspiring and energized you to continue to move the work forward in your own ways.
Michelle M. wrote: “I left the summit feeling very energized and proud to be a member of the early childhood community. For the first time in my life I feel like I can make a difference in the world, or at least in the world of Michigan. I am ready to get started!”
Michael E. wrote: “The main take-away for me is how well defined the objective is regarding Early Learning Communities and how doable it is to reach the thousands of caregivers and children. The goal and the action plan are an inspiration.”
Evelyn B. wrote: “I was amazed and excited that there is more focus on Early Childhood Development and the importance of developing literacy skills early.”
Debra S. wrote: “Lots of information shared in a short period of time. The many presenters were interesting and very supportive of early childhood. We all need to do our part to follow up and make sure our voices are heard on behalf of children.”
David B. wrote: “At the nudging of a friend, I went to the summit. I did not know very much about the subject matter, but was pleasantly surprised to learn all about the topic and found the day to be extremely powerful. I met some very committed and talented people and now have contacted one elementary school principal and proposed that our synagogue would "adopt" that school and provide a committed group of mentors to help the students.”
We also got some amazing suggestions that I will continue to consider as we move forward:
Roberta C. wrote: “I am a former school nurse and was surprised to see the lack of health care professionals at this meeting. School nurses, public health nurses and community health nurses are in the community and are one of the first health care professionals to identify at risk children...Schools of nursing need to do developmental assessments on children for their pediatric training and what a great partnership that could make.”
Michelle L. wrote: “I really enjoyed hearing about all the great work we do to help children and families. The audience was great, but we have to include more businesses and community organizations to get the word out to everyone. We do wonderful things in early childhood education, so let's tell the world!”
I am inspired, encouraged and challenged by your thoughts and feedback. I truly believe we can have a contagious impact on our neighborhoods and communities to create nurturing, literacy-rich environments for children ages 0-5 in Southeastern Michigan.
Through our Early Learning Communities, the Reading Village, and Imagination Library, we will start with those 8 neighborhoods and 40,000 children I mentioned, and will add the hundreds of us now empowered and inspired to change conditions. Caregivers, parents, educators, childcare providers, and the leadership of the business and nonprofit communities can collectively create the contagious impact we desperately need.
I urge you to remain inspired and challenged to be a part of this work. I will reach out to you with news and opportunities, and for your valuable input moving forward.
Collaboration is often the first step and Denise D. summed it up perfectly. She said:
“Having the opportunity to network with policy makers, funders, and program operators who are all dedicated to early child development was very beneficial. Too often, we remain in silos. Finding common goals and missions enhances collaboration in the spirit of one mission: that children enter school ready to learn.”
Cynthia S. echoed her comments: “I really enjoyed the summit. The part I like the most was the networking and sharing of ideas.”
In addition, Brenda J. wrote: “The summit was very inspiring. To see leaders collaborate was awesome. We have to take whom we have and do what we can. I believe what I saw was a movement to help our children grow up successfully. I was glad to be in attendance and I will do what I can to spread the word to others.”
Aside from the networking opportunities, we felt it was important to hear from the real heroes – the parents and caregivers who do this work every day. I was thrilled so many of you agreed, and Nancy G. wrote, “It was the parents that touched me the most. Hearing their words sent a clear message that you are on the right page, making a difference one child at a time.”
Many of you agreed that the summit was inspiring and energized you to continue to move the work forward in your own ways.
Michelle M. wrote: “I left the summit feeling very energized and proud to be a member of the early childhood community. For the first time in my life I feel like I can make a difference in the world, or at least in the world of Michigan. I am ready to get started!”
Michael E. wrote: “The main take-away for me is how well defined the objective is regarding Early Learning Communities and how doable it is to reach the thousands of caregivers and children. The goal and the action plan are an inspiration.”
Evelyn B. wrote: “I was amazed and excited that there is more focus on Early Childhood Development and the importance of developing literacy skills early.”
Debra S. wrote: “Lots of information shared in a short period of time. The many presenters were interesting and very supportive of early childhood. We all need to do our part to follow up and make sure our voices are heard on behalf of children.”
David B. wrote: “At the nudging of a friend, I went to the summit. I did not know very much about the subject matter, but was pleasantly surprised to learn all about the topic and found the day to be extremely powerful. I met some very committed and talented people and now have contacted one elementary school principal and proposed that our synagogue would "adopt" that school and provide a committed group of mentors to help the students.”
We also got some amazing suggestions that I will continue to consider as we move forward:
Roberta C. wrote: “I am a former school nurse and was surprised to see the lack of health care professionals at this meeting. School nurses, public health nurses and community health nurses are in the community and are one of the first health care professionals to identify at risk children...Schools of nursing need to do developmental assessments on children for their pediatric training and what a great partnership that could make.”
Michelle L. wrote: “I really enjoyed hearing about all the great work we do to help children and families. The audience was great, but we have to include more businesses and community organizations to get the word out to everyone. We do wonderful things in early childhood education, so let's tell the world!”
I am inspired, encouraged and challenged by your thoughts and feedback. I truly believe we can have a contagious impact on our neighborhoods and communities to create nurturing, literacy-rich environments for children ages 0-5 in Southeastern Michigan.
Through our Early Learning Communities, the Reading Village, and Imagination Library, we will start with those 8 neighborhoods and 40,000 children I mentioned, and will add the hundreds of us now empowered and inspired to change conditions. Caregivers, parents, educators, childcare providers, and the leadership of the business and nonprofit communities can collectively create the contagious impact we desperately need.
I urge you to remain inspired and challenged to be a part of this work. I will reach out to you with news and opportunities, and for your valuable input moving forward.
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