Columbus, Ohio: Groundwork Ohio today announced Myra Jones-Taylor as keynote speaker for their upcoming Budget Advocacy Day on May 8, 2019 at the Athletic Club of Columbus. Myra Jones-Taylor is the Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE, the national leader on infant-toddler policy and program development. There, she oversees the Policy Center, which includes federal and state policy and advocacy; leads the development and implementation of the organization’s policy agenda, priorities and strategies; and serves as the principal spokesperson for the organization on public policy matters with policymakers, the media, funders and partner organizations.
Prior to ZERO TO THREE, Myra served as the founding Commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, a cabinet-level state agency responsible for early care and education, home visiting, early intervention and child care licensing in the state, serving more than 50,000 children from birth through age five. During her time as Commissioner, the state agency was awarded $50 million in new federal grants and increased access to high-quality preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds by 25 percent. Myra received her doctorate in American studies and anthropology from Yale University. She has the honor of being both an Ascend Fellow and a Pahara Fellow at the Aspen Institute. She is an active board member of national organizations committed to equity and supporting the needs of young children and families, including All Our Kin and LIFT Communities. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.
Groundwork Ohio’s Budget Advocacy Day will convene more than 300 early childhood leaders from across the state to bring awareness to the importance of investments in early childhood education, especially evidence-based home visiting and high-quality child care and preschool. Advocacy Day participants will have the opportunity to meet directly with legislators to ask that they support investments in quality early education during the upcoming FY 20-21 budget.
Groundwork Ohio is a committed, nonpartisan advocacy organization formed in 2004 that advances quality early learning and development as the most transformative strategy to improve school outcomes, increase the life-long success of Ohio’s children, and lay a strong foundation for economic prosperity in the state of Ohio. To learn more about Groundwork Ohio visit www.GroundworkOhio.org and follow us on Twitter @GroundworkOhio and Facebook, www.facebook.com/GroundworkOhio.
ZERO TO THREE works to ensure all babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. Since 1977, the organization has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. For more information, and to learn how to become a ZERO TO THREE member, please visit zerotothree.org, facebook.com/zerotothree, or follow @zerotothree on Twitter.