BOLD GOAL: affordable, quality care for ALL VA families by 2030
Advocacy is becoming our middle name here at Common Ground and we need you to add your voice too! Quality care and early childhood education, like the kind that you receive for your children, shouldn’t be a privilege for only those who can afford it (or even just barely afford it!), it should be a right, granted to all children. Quality early childhood programs support a strong economy in
It’s EASY, just click the link below!
What it is: The Virginia Promise Partnership is a coalition of leading organizations who believe all children deserve a strong start and a promising future, beginning with access to quality child care.With this vision in mind, they have established a bold goal—ensuring all Virginia families have access to affordable quality child care by 2030. The Virginia Promise Partnership seeks to achieve this goal by pushing for the long-term policies and resources needed to give all of our children access to the programs they need to realize their full potential.
What you can do: Sign the promise for the Bold Goal at https://www.vapromisepartnership.com/ as an individual or as an organization!
After signing on as a Promise Maker, they will:
• Keep you informed of Virginia Promise Partnership efforts
• Extend invitations to Virginia Promise Partnership events
• Feature your company / organization logo
on the Virginia Promise Partnership website
and material
• Promote your company / organization through social
media as a leader in standing up for Virginia’s children
and families
Here is a link for a one pager with more information: MORE INFO
An Opportunity for Parents to Get Involved
We received the following request, passed along through NVAEYC, as an opportunity for parents of young children to get involved. If you would like to participate, please use the form under the request:
I’m reaching out to see if you can help VECF build a parent advisory group that will advise the Virginia Promise Partnership and its bold goal of ensuring access to quality, affordable child care for all families in Virginia by 2030.
We are committed to ensuring that parents of young children, birth through five, from diverse geographic, socioeconomic, racial, and linguistic backgrounds have the opportunity to inform this important work. And, while we have been grateful to have received nominations from some parts of the state, we want to be sure that parents in the communities you serve also have a voice.
The ask: To participate in an advisory group which would entail a commitment of an average one two-hour Zoom meeting a month (schedule to be determined) to help inform and shape policy decisions and development as we push for an equitable, accessible child care system for all Virginia parents. VECF would provide appropriate compensation for their time and contributions.
Can you think of a parent or two that you would recommend for this important task? If possible, it would be super helpful to have the following information about each recommended parent to make sure we are meeting our diversity goals: name, email address, region/community, race/ethnicity, home language, and number and age range of children/grandchildren. We’d love to have a list from which we can reach out to a selection of parents by April 16.
Feel free to send your suggestions my way! I have also copied Kathy Glazer on this email in case you have questions she could answer about this request. We’re hoping to get this group of parents together in the next couple weeks, so we would very much appreciate receiving your suggestions soon.
Thanks so much!
Alyson
________________________________________________
Alyson Williams, Ed.D.
Community Liaison for Mixed Delivery Grants
Virginia Early Childhood Foundation
1703 North Parham Road, Suite 110
Richmond, Virginia 23229
alyson@vecf.org
804.358.8323 ext. 103 (While our office is currenty virtual, this number will forward to my cell phone.)
VECF is redoubling our efforts to listen, learn, and act with intentionality to dispel racial injustice and economic disparity, internally and in all aspects of our work building equitable and durable early childhood systems. We ask that our partners and investors hold us accountable for these commitments.
Friends of CG Fridays!: SCRAWL BOOKS (With Exciting Upcoming Events!)
Scrawl Books over in Reston Town Center is a fabulous gem on Reston’s “Shop Local” Crown.
When I found out they were putting in a little bookstore right on the corner of Reston Town Center, I was absolutely delighted. It is within reasonable “Lunch Break” walking distance. It has an amazing selection, and whatever they don’t have they’re willing to order. They support local authors.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, their events promote early literacy and support several wonderful causes. In short? They’re just Good people. Good people doing Good things. And we love having friends like that.
When we contacted them a few years back to do live readings in their store, they were so supportive! They not only let us swipe their stuffy sleepover idea, but they donated items for the stuffy goodie bags!!
On Friday, March 26th, they’re actually doing their own Stuffed Animal Sleepover featuring Children’s Author Ethan Berlin! Children drop off their stuffies for a night of amazing activities, including a reading by Ethan Berlin himself of his new book I am not a Dog Toy.
Sign Up Here if you are interested.
And now, they are going to be doing a BOOK FAIR WITH US in April to celebrate Common Ground Childcare’s 49th Birthday.
When: April 12th to April 19th (LINK INCOMING, STAY TUNED). It is an online bookfair, so it goes 24/7 that entire week!
Where: Scrawl Books will have a page for us on their website, so we will post the link for that when it’s available.
How: We will have recommended books and classroom wishlists on our special link, but you can buy any of the books on the site once you have clicked through! It is not just for kids, stock up on your adult summer reading too!
Why:
- Books are brain food: For our birthday, we are promoting early literacy, consistent literacy, holistic literacy. Reading is good for everyone of every age, no matter what style of book you’re reading. Pick books out for you, your kids, your friends, your family, your school. Pick books out to donate to charity, or for your child’s classroom.
- #ShopLocal: You will be supporting a local business! Scrawl Books is a Reston treasure, and supporting them is supporting your whole town.
- Fundraiser Time: Scrawl books will keep track of how many books are purchased during our book fair and Common Ground will get a percentage of the proceeds! Is there a better birthday present that?
The Pandemic has hit all of our local businesses hard. Right now Scrawl Books is open for curbside pick up and delivery, and we hope that our Covid-19 numbers will go down and enough people will become vaccinated that we can all be together again. Until then, Scrawl Books has agreed to do live online readings for our classrooms on Wednesdays. They are partnering with us and supporting our school. The very least we can do is talk about how wonderful they are, and recommend them every chance we get.
THANK YOU, SCRAWL BOOKS!!
Love Love Love,
LJ and your Common Ground Family
Show your Support for Early Learning in Virginia!
Legislators are considering many competing budget priorities right now. Can you send your legislator a quick email asking for their support of Governor Northam’s early education budget package? This funding is critical to fully restoring the $85m package from last year.
Click here to contact your legislator.
How can you help?
Check out VKRP locality data and tell your legislator the readiness gaps in their district
Share the Early Learning NOW campaign materials on your social media.
COVID-19 Impact on Early Learners & Programs in 2020:
More children started kindergarten without key readiness skills in literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation (VKRP, 2020).
Literacy skills and reading gaps have increased in kindergartners.
More black and brown children entered kindergarten without the readiness skills they need to be successful academically and socially.
Social skills and self-regulation skills (cooperation, expressing emotions, conflict resolution, attention and controlling behaviors) are kindergarten teachers biggest concerns.
Early educators are on the frontlines and need support.
Early learning programs are a support system for working families(faith-based, Head Start, private and the Virginia Preschool Initiative(VPI). They need financial support NOW.
We are monitoring other legislation that will impact children and early learning programs. Be on the lookout for an update on all bills soon!
Our children, families, teachers and programs need YOU to speak up for them NOW! Thank you for being a champion for our children!
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