Early Childhood Education Advancement

My 5 year old built a video game console. Not really... but in his mind, he did, which is pretty cool! (Pictures below). Summer with toddlers is exhausting but this makes it worth it. So, how’d he make this game console? He used magnetic blocks, an AA battery, tape, a headphone cord, and his iPad. 🤯 Next, he says, “Daddy, plug this cord into the TV so I can have a bigger screen!” So now I have a dilemma: Do I tell him it’s not going to work, play along, or leverage ChatGPT to figure out how to explain building a game console to a five-year-old? 😂 I went with option three. Here’s what ChatGPT, acting as a video game console engineer, suggested: 1. 🗳️The Magic Box (Console Casing): This is where everything happens. The magic box holds all the important parts. 2. 🧠The Brain (CPU): Just like our brain, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) tells the console what to do. 3. ❤️The Heart (GPU): The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) makes the pictures we see on the screen. 4. 📝Memory (RAM): This helps the console remember what it's doing right now. 5. 📦Storage (Hard Drive): This is where games and data are stored, like a bookshelf for digital stuff. 6. 🎮Controllers: These are how we tell the console what we want to do in the game. Explaining this to my son was tough but he got it! We talked about how each part of the console works together to bring his favorite games to life. His eyes lit up and he was full of questions and ideas. WHY AM I TELLING THIS STORY? This experience shows the importance of STEM education at an early age. Kids are naturally curious, and when they have access to technology, their imagination knows no bounds. Encouraging this curiosity can lead to amazing discoveries and innovations. As parents, it’s up to my wife and I to foster this curiosity and provide our children with the tools and knowledge to explore their world. Whether it’s building a “game console” out of household items 🤣 or diving into real coding and engineering projects on Scratch and Tynker! The possibilities are endless. So, while my son’s game console might not be functional, the excitement and creativity it sparked is real. Maybe he’ll even discover his passion along the way! #STEM #diversityintech #Technology #gamedevelopment

Sometimes people ask me why I spend so much time talking about #capital funding, #supply building, #zoning, and regulatory navigation supports for child care businesses. Well, here's why. The Colorado Department of Early Childhood recently released the Colorado Child Care Facility Needs Assessment, which is the first assessment of its kind in the state. The data is concerning and validates much of what our team members at EPIC, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children have heard in communities across our state: ❗ Nearly ALL family child care home providers (96%) and 72% of community-based child care center providers stated they did not have sufficient funds for necessary building improvements or urgent issues. ❗ One third of child care providers report facility costs and maintenance comprise 25% or more of their total operating revenue ❗ Over 70% of community-based centers and family child care homes turn families away because they lacked space at their program. ❗ Over half of all child care programs are interested in expanding and 36% of community-based centers are currently looking for new space - with access to capital and available space cited as the most significant barriers ❗ Nearly a fifth of providers ran into issues navigating zoning or code requirements, building permitting, or licensing in the past 5 years Most (all, if we are talking infants and toddlers) of our communities are lacking the supply they need. This IS an issue we must still address, and we can tackle this problem and others at the same time. Children AND early childhood teachers deserve and want to be in environments that are safe, comfortable, and high quality. I believe many people underestimate how much deferred maintenance and undesirable facility/environmental conditions contribute to the workforce crisis we see in this field. We would never maintain our commercial office buildings or other work environments in this way and expect companies or workers to want to work there. Capital funding and financing, incentives to create better access to low-cost real estate options, and technical assistance are all key to addressing this issue. I'm proud our state has taken some steps towards addressing these needs in Colorado and the National Children's Facilities Network is tackling this issue on a national level, but we still have so much more work to do. You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/d6cb6wz2

I’ve taught in classrooms ranging from university lecture halls to prison cells, and the biggest difference is the lighting - not the potential. As a refugee-turned-professor- practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how the absence of early childhood education stunts kids long before they become adults navigating trauma. Research like Heckman’s (2006) shows that every $1 invested in early childhood education yields up to $17 in societal returns. Yet for too many kids, especially in marginalized communities, those investments never come. Instead, they inherit a cycle of neglect, a cycle amplified by systemic racism and poverty. Nas once said, “The World Is Yours,” but is it, if your first teacher was the chaos of survival? Public health studies tell us that early interventions improve mental health and resilience, but as a kid fleeing war, my “classroom” was a refugee camp. I survived, but not without scars - ones I see echoed in the men I teach in prison, whose unaddressed childhood traumas hardened into survival tactics. Early education isn’t just about ABCs; it’s about giving kids the tools to be more than their pain. If we want fewer prison cells, we need more preschools; and the courage to believe that every child deserves to rewrite their story. But let’s be real: for too many kids, "rewriting their story" feels like a cruel joke. By the time the world remembers them, they’ve already been labeled: "at-risk," "troubled," "delinquent." What’s missing from these labels is the root cause - how a lack of early childhood education deprives them of the tools to navigate the weight of their circumstances. In the words of Tupac Shakur, “We grew up hungry, wanting everything. In the hood, belief in yourself is all you got.” That belief, however, isn’t magic, it needs to be nurtured, and nurturing begins long before the first bell of kindergarten.

📣 "The concept behind the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund is simple: to bring the wages of child care workers, who are among the lowest-paid workers in the U.S., in line with those of public school teachers. Since the fund's establishment, the District of Columbia's child care workers have seen their wages rise by just over $10,000 a year, on average, setting off what researchers describe as a chain reaction: With some level of financial stability, teachers have been far less likely to quit. Reduced turnover means child care centers and home-based providers are no longer struggling to recruit and train new employees. Meanwhile, families are finding there are now more child care slots. And with more experienced teachers staying on the job, children are receiving better care. "We know now what a big change it has brought to people's lives," says Erica Greenberg, a senior fellow with the Urban Institute and one of a number of researchers studying the impact of the fund. "It was long overdue." The gains are not just anecdotal. Two years after the first payments went out, researchers are finding that the initiative is yielding quantifiable wins. Owen Schochet, PhD, MPP, a researcher with Mathematica, calculated that the Pay Equity Fund boosted child care employment across Washington, D.C., by nearly 7%, or 219 additional teachers. Working with economist Clive Belfield of Queens College, City University of New York, Schochet compared the cost of the program — an estimated $54 million in 2023 — with the value of the benefits, including lower absenteeism, lower turnover, improved access to care and better quality care. They concluded that the fund, which also includes a health care component, generated a 23% return on investment." https://lnkd.in/gvfiUCnW

Nearly half of Mississippi's children live in child care deserts, with 60% of rural kids facing limited access to early education. In these areas, when a teacher calls out, programs often have no choice but to close for the day, leaving parents scrambling and children without care. I've heard over and over that modern child care solutions don't work in rural communities. ❌ "Wonderschool might work in big cities, but it won't work in rural areas." ❌ "There aren't enough providers or teachers." ❌ "Adopting new technology will be too complicated!" In my heart (and from my experience) this totally misses the mark. Here's a story of change that I'm so inspired by. Kristie runs a child care program in rural Mississippi, where finding substitute teachers used to be nearly impossible. Determined to offer quality care even when she needed to call out, she partnered with Wonderschool and was able to utilize SubPool—an on-demand network connecting her with qualified substitute teachers. With SubPool, Kristie now maintains a 1:4 teacher-to-child ratio, significantly better than the state's standard of 1:20. Kristie's commitment, combined with innovative support, is transforming child care in her community. It's a testament to what's possible when we invest in our providers and rethink solutions to long-standing challenges. A night and day difference in quality care! I believe the solution to rural child care is right here, in front of us. For state leaders trying to solve this—isn't it worth trying something that's already working? #childcare #policy #ruraldevelopment #government

According to recent reports, the Federal Administration could release a Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal that would zero out the national #HeadStart program and provide no offsetting funding increase to the Federal block grant to States for child care. These recommendations, if made and followed by Congress, would have damaging consequences for #Massachusetts children, families, communities, businesses, and the local economy. Two arguments have been offered to justify a proposed elimination of Head Start, both of which are incorrect. First, it has been suggested that Head Start programs are too unsafe to continue. This is not supported by the facts. Massachusetts has the strongest child care health and safety standards in the nation. Head Start standards are even stronger. Given the high vulnerability of the population, the work of child care is incredibly complex and high-risk. Standards MUST be high to protect and nurture children. Caring for and supporting the healthy development of children requires exceptionally strong judgement, practice, and monitoring. The consequences of errors or bad actions can be deeply harmful and even fatal. As a result, dozens of monitoring investigations across the entire child care system are occurring at any given time in Massachusetts and, while patterns can emerge, cherry-picking any case is just that: cherry-picking. Head Starts, on average, delivers strong health and safety results. The second case being is that child care shouldn't be a Federal concern and would best be left to the States. One problem with that argument is that the current proposal reportedly doesn't shift the program to the States, administratively or monetarily. It's simply an elimination. What would result? In Massachusetts, about 11,000 children would lose access to their child care, and all of the proven developmental benefits and future opportunities that accompany #earlychildhoodeducation. Simultaneously, their parents would lose access to child care services that make it easier or possible to participate in the #laborforce. Consequently, businesses will lose access to workers and the overall economy will take a hit. Additionally, the basic laws of supply and demand would inflict harm on ALL families in the Massachusetts child care system. Child care costs already are prohibitive for too many families. Assuming that Head Start families even could afford full private pay, imagine the inflationary impacts of 11,000 children flooding the child care market? And imagine the costs of trying to create 11,000 new seats (buildings, classrooms) to accommodate the transition? Very few families and no State could afford this scenario. For more information, check out this First Five Years Fund toolkit for Head Start. National Head Start Association, Massachusetts Head Start Association https://lnkd.in/eiKe7qfj

Strong early education systems aren’t built along political lines. They’re built by putting effective solutions first. One approach we’ve seen consistently deliver results is the mixed delivery model. Colorado is a great example. They’ve blended bipartisan strategies with real impact: - Tax credits that unlock private investment in child care - A commitment to equity, ensuring resources reach the right places - Creation of the Department of Early Childhood to streamline administration - Language translation for all services so every family can access the system Even more powerful is how these policies show up in practice: - Coordinated enrollment systems that centralize provider information, reduce duplication, and make it easier for families to apply across programs - A single eligibility screener that helps families understand what they qualify for, across multiple funding streams - Data infrastructure that gives leaders visibility into trends, access gaps, and areas for improvement Colorado’s progress shows that when you combine flexibility, equity, and collaboration, the result is a stronger, more inclusive early education system. As you can probably tell, I’m excited by what’s happening in Colorado. If you’re curious about how these ideas might apply to your community, I’d love to chat. #ECE #ChildCareForAll #EarlyEducation #MixedDelivery #ChildCareMatters

The U.S. is facing a STEM talent shortage, with insufficient numbers and diversity in the workforce to meet 21st-century demands, according to the State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024 report. To address this, early exposure to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in K–12 classrooms is essential. 🔬 Introducing STEM at a young age fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity—skills vital for future careers and everyday life. In Duval County Public Schools, for example, STEM centers equipped with hands-on materials and tech engage students as early as first grade, laying the groundwork for computational thinking and resilience through activities like coding and debugging. Educators can make STEM engaging by: ✅ Starting with small, hands-on projects. ✅ Using interactive tools like micro:bits, LEGO Spike Essential, and Bee-Bots to teach coding and sequencing. ✅ Leveraging curriculum-aligned tech tools and apps for structured, age-appropriate learning. By fostering curiosity and confidence in young learners, schools can help bridge the STEM talent gap, preparing students for success in an increasingly tech-driven world. Read more here 👉 https://buff.ly/41YnP1P

𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 75% of children who start kindergarten behind never catch up—a reality that impacts our workforce, economy, and communities for years to come. Investing in early learning isn’t just about education; it’s about economic prosperity, workforce readiness, and social mobility. ✅ A Workforce Issue: 68% of Florida children under six live in households where all adults work. Yet, access to affordable, high-quality child care remains a major barrier for working families. When parents can’t find care, they leave the workforce—costing Florida $5.4 billion in lost economic value. ✅ An Education Issue: By age three, 85% of a child’s brain is developed, setting the foundation for lifelong learning. We must increase access to early childhood programs that build critical skills like impulse control, emotional regulation, and communication—skills essential for success in school, careers, and life. ✅ Right now, a two-parent household making minimum wage earns too much to qualify for tuition assistance—yet child care costs more than in-state college tuition. This isn’t sustainable. If we want to strengthen Florida’s workforce and economy, we must prioritize early learning investments: 📌 Expand access to School Readiness tuition assistance 📌 Increase specialized instruction for children with disabilities 📌 Invest in early childhood educators through better compensation and professional development We have the data. We have the roadmap. Now, we need action. Let’s work together to ensure every child in Florida starts school ready to succeed—because early learning impacts everything. Here is the 2025 Legislative Briefing on Early Learning by the The Children's Movement of Florida Madeleine Thakur Ric Banciella, CNP Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC) Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Florida Chamber of Commerce Ruvos Launch Tally #Education #EconomicDevelopment #EarlyLearning #FloridaFuture #WorkforceDevelopment