Dear Groundwork Team, As we close out March, I am encouraged by the feedback we are getting in the legislature about the need to support quality early care and education. Our work continues, but we look forward to you joining our efforts. More on that later.
As promised, I wanted to share some new information I learned last week in Washington D.C., at the Federal Reserve System Community Development Research Conference which focused on Strong Foundations: The Economic Futures of Kids and Communities. Groundwork is using as many evidence-based tools to bolster our case for support for early childhood education in Ohio as possible and I added the following additional resource, The Minnesota Model for Early Childhood Development: A Market/Parent-Based Approach, by Art Rolnick, to our arsenal.
I found Rolnick's research compelling because it easily summarizes the astounding rates of return on investments we see from quality 0-5 programs and the fact that benefits far exceed costs when it comes to early childhood investments. I look forward to learning more about the Minnesota model based on the great results they saw in increasing access to quality early childhood programs for kids in their state.
Lynanne continues to enhance our work and this week presented at both the Voices for Ohio's Children Kid's Summit and to the Board of Directors for the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children. Get to know her...she is a talented advocate eager to support early education efforts.
Have I mentioned Advocacy Day??? As a critical piece to our budget advocacy strategy, we look forward to sharing registration materials this Monday for our much anticipated Advocacy Day. We need your voice at our table for this important event. Please register and gather others in your organization to participate too. We need everyone to be counted in this important effort!
Thanks again for all you do on behalf of children. Have a great weekend!
Shannon Jones Executive Director Groundwork Ohio