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Looking Back on 20 Years of Early Childhood Systems Building and 20 Years of the BUILD Initiative

Archived Meeting Resources
January 9, 2023
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This session was a BUILD 2022 National Conference pre-conference session.

BUILD leaders Susan Hibbard and Sherri Killins Stewart and national early childhood leader/mentor/inspiration Joan Lombardi reflected on the progress in early childhood systems development over the last 20 years and the challenges that remain. They talked about how intentionally seeking to benefit children and families who have been marginalized by our institutions and structures is essential, advancing racial equity and systems building are intertwined, and how thinking and work on state and community connections has evolved. They also discussed how their views have changed over time about leaders and leadership, leading from anywhere/everywhere, acting within one’s role and responsibility, and using one’s role and influence to shift policy and practice, and working together across sectors. The webinar included short video appearances of some of BUILD’s earliest partnerships with state leaders and funders.

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Family Voice Matters: The Importance of Effective Parent Coalitions

Blog January 31, 2023

BUILD recently interviewed five parent leaders about their experience in parent coalitions. In addition to reminding us of the need to address implicit bias on behalf of all families and children, they provided their thoughts on ways to ensure the coalitions fulfill their purpose and best meet the needs of families, and whether there’s room for improvement in the way they function. Here’s what they told us.

Incorporating Montessori Programs in State Quality Improvement Systems Webinar Resources

Archived Meeting Resources January 31, 2023

States are making significant advancements in their quality improvement systems (QIS) as they look for solutions to widen the aperture and fully embrace a mixed-delivery system that will best serve children, families, and the early care and education workforce. To achieve this, QIS policies need to become more flexible and create different pathways to quality, including a variety of established, high-quality delivery models. In this session participants heard how Montessori programs are working with state leaders from Illinois, Michigan, and Washington to be part of the QIS.