Columbus, Ohio: Today, Groundwork Ohio announced the incoming 2021 cohort of its Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship program. The Fellowship is designed to provide early education and health professionals from across the state with 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.
“We are thrilled to welcome this passionate group of early childhood professionals as the second cohort of our Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship,” said Shannon Jones, Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio. “Now, more than ever, we need strong advocates who can elevate their voices to state policy in support of children and families in Ohio. We look forward to working with the 2021 cohort to foster skills and experience to help them do that.”
Over the next year, 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.
This year’s fellows include:
Carla Adams, Child Development Council of Franklin County
Jessica Ann Boiner, Family Child Care Home Provider
Charlene Carroll, Emmanuel Christian Academy
Misty Cole, Hopewell Health Centers
Jessica Collins, Knox County Head Start
Megan Foradori, Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Andrea Hairston, HSD Academy Learning Center
Alice Harrell, New Dimension Child Care Center
Jennine Hoover, Kendal at Oberlin
Asia Hughes, The Childcare People
Michael Ingram, Bedford Heights Daycare & Nursery Center Inc.
Brittany Jackson, Action for Children
Ginny Joo, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center - TIP Program
Caroline King, Temple Tots Preschool
Angela Kirkland, Family Child Care Home Provider
Renee Matsunami, Child Care Choices, Inc.
Amy McMillan, Simpy's Playhouse
Patricia McNerney, EICK Global STEM Academy
Devin Montrell Bates, The East End Neighborhood House
Margaret Osborne, Ottawa County Board of Developmental Disabilities/Ottawa County Family & Children First Council
Jessica Parker, City of Lakewood, Division of Early Childhood
Brittany Pope, OhioGuidestone
LInda Schettler, Catholic Charities Early Learning
Hannah Scully, Child Focus
Julia Shaheen, Stark County District Library
Amber Sullivan, Bright Beginnings Early Intervention
Amanda Uhrig, Brightside Academy Ohio
Clarissa Walls-Parker, Clinton County Community Action Program Head Start
Tawanna Williams, Starting Point Learning Center
Carrie Williamson, Kids Academy
Marian Wright, Bright Beginnings Early Intervention
More information about the program can be found at www.GroundworkOhio.org/Fellowship. Groundwork Ohio is a committed, nonpartisan public-policy research and advocacy organization formed in 2004 that champions high-quality early learning and healthy development strategies from the prenatal period to age five, that lay a strong foundation for Ohio kids, families and communities. To learn more about Groundwork Ohio visit www.GroundworkOhio.org and follow us on Twitter @GroundworkOhio and Facebook, www.facebook.com/GroundworkOhio.
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