Warby Parker’s Post

If you're someone who is talking about, planning for, trying to provide, or demanding "quality early care and education," I urge you to spend some time with Defending the Early Years' free, virtual summer institute "Advancing Quality in Defense of Early Childhood Education and Care" from June 24-26. "Quality has always been an important component in ensuring that all young children have access to early care and education. Nonetheless, defining, measuring, and guaranteeing high quality demonstrates the complexities and difficulty in making high quality for all a reality. What does quality mean to you? How do you demonstrate quality in your program or classroom? How can the systems used to measure quality be improved? What does high quality mean in relation to justice and equity for disadvantaged and marginalized children? The 2024 Sixth Annual DEY Summer Institute will address these questions and many more." Click the for more information or to register!

Today is 5-29, making it National 529 Day! To help us celebrate, here is John's daughter, Mia, reminding you to save for education costs. Start planning for a brighter future today! #529Day #EducationSavings #CollegeSavings

You don’t want to miss this learning series! Share with your network of principals.

Today the Junior Achievement of Florida Foundation celebrates Senator Jarrid “Jay” Collins of the 14th District of the Florida Senate for his championing of 3DE Schools with the securing of a $2.9M appropriation from the State of Florida. This support will drive systemic change in participating high schools and propel the expansion of 3DE to additional schools throughout the state in the coming years. Thank you Senator Collins for believing in Junior Achievement's mission and serving as a committed leader in providing opportunities for Florida students. In Florida, 3DE is currently implemented in 19 schools in 8 school districts in partnership with 4 regional Junior Achievement areas. On average, Florida 3DE students experience 18.2% fewer cases of chronic absenteeism, 26% higher graduation rates, and 86% of students report seeing the relevance of school in their education (vs. 46%) when compared to their non-3DE peers. 3DE is an instructional model designed to systemically re-engineer high school education to provide economic opportunity for all students by developing in students of all walks of life the competencies needed to thrive in the workplace by applying those skills to real-world business cases and entrepreneurship, inside and outside of the classroom. Junior Achievement of South Florida Junior Achievement of Central Florida Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay

Attention California parents! Did you know that up to $1,500 is available to low income, foster, and/or homeless kids in grades K-12 attending public schools in the state? That's right! This money can be used towards college savings and is waiting for up to 3.6 million eligible kids. However, only 350,000 parents have claimed their kids' accounts so far. Don't let this opportunity slip away! For many families in marginalized communities, this sum of money is a fortune, and it could be the jump start that kids need to become happier and wealthier adults. Studies show that college graduates make an average of $1,000,000 more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma. Moreover, owning a college fund with at least $500 makes a child 3x more likely to attend college and 4x less likely to drop out. So, if you know anyone who is from a low-income household with grade school kids, please encourage them to sign up at www.calkids.org. Remember, sometimes all a kid needs is a little lift.

Continuing the celebration of our 10th anniversary, this #ThrowbackThursday features our report published in 2016 in partnership with the @CAP. This report provides a brief overview of special education policies and outcomes and explores the potential of district and charter collaboration. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dPCi9Rbs! #CLETakes10

Did you know there are 86 Judy Center Early Learning Hubs in Maryland? Pillar 1 of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future emphasizes equitable early education opportunities that prepare all children for school & for success! Learn more about Judy Centers: https://lnkd.in/dWJuscJH

Please follow EDUCATIONAL FIRST STEPS to watch the magical impact unfold….

We are excited to announce the release of “Making the Vision a Reality: A Roadmap for Implementing PreK for All”! 📚👶The roadmap, written for Michigan decision-makers, proposes a plan to increase the number of classrooms available to support PreK for All; recruit, retain, and fairly compensate skilled professionals to work in those classrooms; and offers a strategy to ensure robust enrollment by Michigan families. To inform the report, the Policy Equity Group conducted 12 input sessions across Michigan. The top findings from those input sessions, include: 1️⃣ Support the workforce, support the workforce, support the workforce;  2️⃣ Community-based organizations, including home-based providers, are looking for an opportunity to engage in PreK expansion; 3️⃣ PreK expansion must be implemented in a way that also accounts for impacts on the entire birth-five system, especially infants and toddler care; and 4️⃣ PreK programs should seek to meet the varied and unique needs of families and children across the state. The roadmap uses these findings, paired with feedback from an innovative group of statewide experts—the PreK for All Action Team—and the lessons learned from other states, to create an actionable path forward for PreK expansion in Michigan. It was an honor to collaborate with the newly formed Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) to complete the Roadmap. It is the first step of a longer and exciting journey for early education in Michigan. You can find the brief and report on Michigan’s new MiLEAP PreK for All website: https://lnkd.in/e7E3GT_c Big thanks to our amazing funders and partners, local community groups, dedicated parents, and hard-working providers who actively participated in listening sessions and helped to shape the strategies to expand and improve early childhood education in Michigan. Your insights made a difference! 🌟👏 Southern Imaginations, LLC, PreK for All Action Team, The Kresge Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, MiLEAP, Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Foundation #PreKForAll #CommunityEngagement #EarlyEducationMatters