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Using What We’ve Learned and What’s Worked!

Education Task Force PhotoNews from Early Childhood & Education (EC&E) Task Force

A group of 15 wonderful people attended the first meeting of our new task force. New members are welcome! Our next meeting is Monday November 23rd at 5:30 at St. Luke’s.

Please join us Tuesday November 17th at 4 PM for a community discussion about early childhood policy issues with comments by Mina Hong from Michigan’s Children and local perspectives in the Georgian Room in the County Health & Human Services on Nazareth Campus at 3299 Gull Rd.

Our task force reviewed the shocking facts learned in the film The Raising of America, attended by over 300 people at Chenery Auditorium last month. Along with the November policy discussion above, we will review input gathered from film attendees about changes needed to better support children in our county to guide our work going forward. We are also learning how to use the tools and process of our organizing model to conduct research and interviews with local leaders and experts about needs and issues in K-12 and early childhood. Local training was requested. Meetings about education have been held or are scheduled with Rep. Hoadley and Sen. O’Brien.

We reviewed past actions of this task force and the critical importance of working in collaboration with local partners to achieve these goals, as well as work in the community that continues in order to fully address these needs, such as the Kalamazoo County Ready 4s, the Infant Mortality Initiative, the work of the Great Start Collaborative (GSC) in Strengthening Families, KRAN, Michigan Power to Thrive (MPTT) and others. We welcomed partners continuing on the task force from United Way, Health & Community Services and GSC.