Beginning in 2020, early education and health professionals from across the state will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, engage with thought-leaders and policymakers to advance quality early learning and health, and take steps to create state-, local-, and community-level change for young children in Ohio. Fellows will engage in a hybrid curriculum designed to build upon leadership and communications skills, expand knowledge around the landscape of Ohio’s early childhood systems, and empower participants to take on leadership roles in their communities and the early education and health professions across the state.
The Fellowship will incorporate in-person sessions, expert presentations, online learning experiences, and small group regional exercises designed to drive change in local communities. By the end of the year, Fellows will have gained the knowledge and tools needed to enhance their capacity to influence healthy development and early learning policies that will improve outcomes for Ohio’s youngest children and their families.
Applications must be submitted by 5 PM on December 13, 2019.
Breaking Down Silos
Last Friday, Groundwork Executive Director Shannon Jones was a featured speaker during the Putting People First: Solving the Social Determinants of Health as Partners community conversation at Sinclair Conference Center in Dayton, which brought together managed care plans, healthcare leaders, advocates, and community stakeholders. During the event, Shannon emphasized the importance of prioritizing upstream policies and how to be successful in moving the community forward. As a critical first step in this work, Shannon encouraged attendees to break down silos between programs and systems and to form partnerships with one another by exploring new and innovative ways to mitigate the various social determinants of health present in their community.
Groundwork Signs on to Support More Funding for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)
In October, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL-7) introduced H.R.4768 - Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act. The bill aims to provide more mothers with access to home visiting in an effort to prevent maternal mortality and reduce maternal morbidity rates. If enacted in its current form, the legislation would double federal funding that is currently provided to MIECHV. Over 400 organizations, to include Groundwork and other Ohio stakeholders, signed onto a letter to express support for H.R. 4768 and delivered the letter to Congressman Davis last week. Read the Letter.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Council on Foster Care, Kinship Care, and Adoption released a resource for early educators and providers to utilize when caring for children that have been adopted or have been in the foster care system. The report, Safe and Sound: Responding to the Experiences of Children Adopted or in Foster Care, explains that many children develop trauma from toxic stress during or before entering adoption or foster care. Unfortunately, for many children, the trauma may present itself in the classroom through negative behavior. Within the report, educators and providers are presented with a step-by-step guide to addressing this type of trauma within their classrooms. Read the Report.