Letter from Mindy
Dear Friends,
Learning doesn’t stop during the summer, and neither does GEEARS. We spent the summer months presenting on the importance of the first 2,000 days, making visits to the offices of the members of the Georgia Congressional Delegation on Capitol Hill and with Georgia’s state legislators in their home counties, working on a visionary plan for families in the City of Atlanta, attending conferences, and ensuring the continuing success of the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club.
One of the most memorable parts of the summer for me personally was the afternoon I spent gathered with GEEARS’ friends and supporters, watching the film “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” The film underscored Mr. Rogers’ messages of the importance of safe, supportive neighborhoods and their role in shaping young children to help them thrive. The panel that followed the film, moderated by GEEARS’ Board Member and CEO and President of Georgia Public Broadcasting, Teya Ryan, illuminated ways that the lessons that Mr. Rogers worked so hard to share during his lifetime are just as relevant today. GEEARS was so proud to host this special screening of the film and to share a conversation with parents, teachers, donors, policy makers and others who are committed to working to create communities in which the needs of children are at the center. I don’t think that there was a dry eye in the theater when the panel discussion concluded.
As fall approaches, we’re gearing up for an exciting series of meaningful and informative events around the state. As part of our Think Babies initiative, GEEARS is hosting two Speaker Series events in Gainesville and Columbus that will shed light on the exploratory infant brain and exactly how trauma can impact young children. Later in September we’re co-hosting an event with Voices for Georgia’s Children to discuss the 2020 Census and its implications for Georgia’s children and families. You can learn more about these events here, and I hope to see you at one of them soon.
Thank you for your continued support,
Mindy
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Save the date: 2018 Gubernatorial Summit
Please make plans to join us for our signature event, the 2018 Gubernatorial Summit, where we will host candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and State Superintendent to discuss issues surrounding young children and families.
Tuesday, October 9th, 2018
4:00pm - 7:00pm
The Carter Center
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We’re hiring: Health Policy Manager
GEEARS seeks an experienced professional to join our team as a Health Policy Manager, supporting the organization’s health-related policy, advocacy, and communication initiatives. The Health Policy Manager will develop GEEARS’ early childhood health agenda, create resources, collaborate with partners, track and report on legislation, and support the organization’s communications efforts. The deadline for applications is August 31st, 2018.
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Two upcoming events in Gainesville, GA
GEEARS, in partnership with ZERO TO THREE and the Alliance for Early Success, is hosting two events focused on infants and toddlers in Gainesville on September 10, 2018. Learn more about those events below:
Family Listening Session for families with infants and toddlers:
5:00PM-6:30PM
ATTENTION North Georgia parents and guardians of children ages 0-3: GEEARS wants to hear from you! We’re holding a listening session to learn about the joys and challenges of raising infants and toddlers. Come share your stories over dinner with us! After dinner, please join us for the speaker series featuring Allison Gopknik.
To register, click here.
Speaker Series featuring Alison Gopnik:
7:00PM-8:30PM
Join us on September 10 th for a captivating conversation on “Why Children Are Better Learners than Adults: The Exploratory Infant Brain,” featuring Professor Alison Gopnik of the University of California at Berkley. Her research explores the sophisticated intelligence-gathering and decision-making that babies are really doing when they play. Come and learn more about the fascinating minds of infants and toddlers, and how much we understand before we realize we do. This event is free, but space is limited.
To register, click here. |
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Columbus Speaker Series on the impact of trauma
In partnership with ZERO TO THREE and the Alliance for Early Success, GEEARS is hosting an evening conversation with Dr. Ross Thompson, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis and director of the Social & Emotional Development Lab. We invite you to come and learn about the powerful impact that trauma has on the young brain, even among infants. Attendees will better understand how trauma affects the socio-emotional, intellectual, and even physical health of infants and toddlers, and how that impact can last a lifetime without meaningful intervention. We will also discuss strategies and promising practices for intervening with a young child who is showing signs of trauma.
Wednesday, September 19th, 2018
7:00pm – 8:30pm
Troy University Riverfront Campus
1510 Whitewater Avenue, Room 213
Phenix City, Alabama 36867
Free Admission, Seating is Limited
Click here to register
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A summer of reading comes to an end
Throughout the summer, the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club (MSRC) has hosted more than 120 community events for children and families in Atlanta. The MSRC is a program for children ages birth to five and their families that takes place in locations throughout the City of Atlanta over the summer. The program designates a city-wide book choice for infants and for children ages 2-5, and, thanks to support from PNC, distributes approximately 25,000 free copies of this book to families through our partner organizations.
This summer, libraries, museums, farmers’ markets, and other institutions in Atlanta have held “book club reads” to model research-based methods of reading books with children and hosted enrichment events based upon the stories. The books have come to life as children have enjoyed arts and crafts activities, drama exercises, and other hands on activities designed to make the language in the stories meaningful to children. This year, the program was replicated in Newton County and Columbus.
2018 Book Selections
Tumble Bumble
By Felicia Bond
Ages: 0-2 years
Written and illustrated by Felicia Bond, the illustrator of the bestselling If You Give…series, Tumble Bumble is a fun-filled tale of a tiny bug that goes for a walk and meets all kinds of creatures! When a tiny bug decides to go for a walk, anything can happen! He might meet a cat, a crocodile, a pig, or even a bee to dance and play with, and that means more friends for everyone.
Seed Magic
By Jane Buchanan, Illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb
Ages: 3-5 years
Rose and her brothers mock the old Birdman, who sits in his wheelchair surrounded by ugly gray pigeons. The Birdman thinks his pigeons are beautiful, but the only things Rose thinks are beautiful are gardens full of red and yellow and blue flowers. The Birdman fills Rose’s hand with seeds and tells her they are magic if she plants them outside her window they will grow a garden. Her brothers don’t believe, but Rose sets the seeds out and waits. Soon, just as the Birdman promised, a garden appears before her eyes a musical flurry of blue and red and yellow birds, drawn to Rose’s window by seed magic.
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Thank you to our summer interns and fellows
This summer, GEEARS hosted several interns and fellows to work on research, policy, advocacy, and community engagement projects. As they complete their internships and fellowships, we want to thank them for their contributions to our efforts. You can learn more about each of them below:
Adzua Agyapon, Policy Fellow
Adzua joined GEEARS as a policy fellow through the Urban Leaders Fellowship (ULF). A former kindergarten teacher, grade-level chair, and instructional coach, she brings 7 years of education experience to her work this summer. Adzua also has experience in politics, governance, and advocacy. She was previously elected to New Haven’s Ward 1 Democratic Town Committee and ran for Atlanta’s Board of Education in 2017. Adzua earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University where she studied American Studies with a concentration in politics and American communities. After ULF, Adzua will join Senator Michael Bennet’s congressional staff as a legislative fellow on Capitol Hill.
Courtney Henrich, Mayor's Summer Reading Club Intern
Courtney Henrich has served as the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club Intern through the Ethics and Servant Leadership Fellowship at Emory University. She grew up in New Hampshire and attended Phillips Exeter Academy as a Phelps Scholar Athlete before matriculating to Wesleyan University. After her freshman year there, she transferred to Emory University where she is now a rising senior studying human health and sustainability. She is also a member of the women’s basketball team, brother of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, and conducts research regarding food security on campus. Her academic interests include improving access to quality education and nutrition, eliminating food deserts, and sustainable urban planning. She hopes to be employed by a health-focused organization in the Atlanta area after graduation. Courtney was profiled about her work at GEEARS in an Emory News article about students’ work in the community this summer.
https://news.emory.edu/features/2018/08/summer-of-service/index.html
Melissa Joyce, Policy Fellow
Melissa Joyce grew up in Savannah, Georgia and joined GEEARS as a Policy Fellow, working on school readiness projects. She is currently a student at the University of Georgia pursuing a dual bachelor’s and master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and the University of Georgia Honor Society. She volunteers at the WIT community center for the non-profit organization ‘Whatever it Takes’ tutoring Elementary school students in the Athens community. Melissa previously interned in Washington D.C. for Georgia Congressman Rick Allen. There she developed an interest in education advocacy and policy. Specifically, Melissa would like to learn more about the current state of education in Georgia and the implementation of policy change.
Sasha Mills, Policy and Advocacy Fellow
A native of Washington, D.C., Sasha earned her B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College. Sasha joined GEEARS through the Policy and Advocacy Fellowship through the Leadership for Education Equity (LEE) program. She joined Teach for America Metro-Atlanta in 2011 and has taught kindergarten and 2nd-5th grade. During the summer of 2017, Sasha traveled to Peru to teach English and revise the curriculum for the Espaanglisch Program. Sasha just completed her 7th year of teaching in Atlanta Public Schools, and is passionate about closing the achievement gap. This summer, Sasha has been working with our Director of Research on a variety of data and policy projects.
GEEARS is always seeking qualified interns and volunteers. If you are interested is helping GEEARS with our research, advocacy, or communications please send your resume and cover letter to geears@geears.org.
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Congratulations to the inaugural cohort of Atlanta Early Education Ambassadors
GEEARS has graduated the first cohort of Atlanta Early Education Ambassadors, a group of involved parents, grandparents, teachers, and community members that will lead early learning recruitment and advocacy efforts in targeted communities in Atlanta. This team of Ambassadors will serve as advocates and community leaders for early education in Atlanta Public Schools’ Washington and Douglass clusters.
The program launched in early 2018, in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools. In preparation for their work in the community, this cohort of Ambassadors participated in a series of workshops that focused on the value and benefits of high-quality early education for children.
The workshops were geared toward communications training and educating the Ambassadors about the early learning options that are available in Atlanta. In addition, the workshops focused on community resources and the enrollment process for child care providers in the Atlanta area. Each session also provided opportunities for leadership development and team building.
To learn more, click here to view the press release.
We are also seeking applicants for our next cohort of Atlanta Early Education Ambassadors. To apply, click here.
If you are interested in having the Atlanta Early Education Ambassadors at your next event, please contact Dawan Barfield at dbarfield@geears.org.
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The Brain Architecture Game is a fun, interactive experience for all types of organizations
GEEARS facilitates the Brain Architecture Game for businesses, nonprofit organizations, advisory boards, community leaders, teachers, and others. This hands-on activity is the perfect way to provide a tangible representation of the importance of healthy brain development during early childhood.
The Brain Architecture Game is a tabletop game experience that builds understanding of the powerful role of experiences on early brain development – what promotes it, what derails it, with what consequences for society.
The game is a 75 to 90-minute experience optimized for groups of 4-6 people per table. It can be played in small workshops, conferences, and large events, with as few as 8, or as many as 300 participants. Smaller groups (less than 15 people) are encouraged to visit the website for instructions and materials to facilitate on their own. GEEARS is available to facilitate a limited number Brain Architecture Games for larger groups (20 or more people) each month.
If you are interested in having us facilitate the Brain Architecture game for your group, please complete the request form here.
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GEEARS’ staff selected for prestigious programs
We are proud that our staff members at GEEARS are engaged in the community and in continuing professional learning opportunities.
Lisa Dwyer, GEEARS Director of Special Projects and Partnerships, was selected for the 2018-2019 class of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education’s (GPEE) Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). The EPFP is a national professional development program sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) that provides potential leaders with the knowledge and networks to advance the core issues of education policy. Each participating state has autonomy over its program.
It is an initiative of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and is co-sponsored by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia. The program connects potential educational leaders with one another to build the capacity for our state to raise the bar for student learning and achievement.
We are also proud that our Director of Communications, Vett Vandiver, was selected as one of 56 leaders to attend the 2018 Regional Leadership Institute. Established by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), this week-long leadership development program will explore key regional issues facing metro Atlanta.
“It’s critically important that our region’s leaders learn to think regionally. That’s what RLI is all about,” said Doug Hooker, ARC Executive Director. “The program also provides an opportunity for community leaders to get to know one another and build the relationships needed to tackle our region’s challenges collaboratively.”
Since 1991, more than 1,500 leaders from the business, government, education, and nonprofit sectors have participated in the RLI program. The curriculum covers topics ranging from transportation and air quality to education, water, and economic development. Learn more about the program here.
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Atlanta Early Education Leadership Council update
The 25 members of the Atlanta Early Education Leadership Council concluded their initial planning and discussion meetings in June, 2018. The group, convened by GEEARS, worked together to develop a shared vision and bold, yet actionable strategies to ensure that all children starting at birth are healthy, learning, and developing so that they enter school ready for success, thrive once in school and are prepared to reach their full potential as citizens of Atlanta.
The Council is currently working on a comprehensive report of its recommendations that will be shared publicly this fall along with a call to action for businesses, philanthropists, elected officials, and others.
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Blueprint to Break the Cycle of Poverty: Ascend Report
Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS, was in Washington, D.C. this summer to attend Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s release of a milestone report, States Leading the Way: Practical Solutions that Lift Up Children and Families, as part of Ascend's Solutions Series. We recommend this tape of the livestream to hear rich insights and recommendations from state commissioners, parent leaders, philanthropists, and nonprofit leaders from across the country.
The report offers a blueprint to state leaders looking to break the cycle of poverty for families. It details the innovations in eight states, led by both Democrat and Republican Governors and state legislators in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Utah, to transform the delivery of social services and place families on a path to economic security using a two-generation (2Gen) approach.
Download your copy of the report here.
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2018 Early Childhood Workforce Index released
The Early Childhood Workforce Index provides a composite appraisal of the early childhood workforce in each state focused on: Earnings and Economic Security, Early Childhood Workforce Policies, and Family and Income Support Policies. The full 2018 Index includes a discussion and rationale for each category and spotlights successful and promising practices in selected states.
- To view the complete Early Childhood Workforce Index, click here.
- To view the Executive Summary, click here.
- To see how Georgia compares to other states, visit this interactive state-by-state database.
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GEEARS' Suggested Reads...
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Please consider supporting GEEARS’ advocacy efforts by making a donation that will support Georgia’s earliest learners and their families. Your tax-deductible donation supports our work as early childhood advocates and the leaders of this movement.
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