On Tuesday night, we held a Reception for Reflection to celebrate the work and commitment of the fourth cohort of Strategies for Children’s Advocacy Network.
It was an exciting evening that featured inspiring insights from cohort members as well as their ideas for the future. Guests included family members, Advocacy Network alumni, and policymakers, among them Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler and Commissioner Amy Kershaw of the Department of Early Education and Care.
The digital program and the slides for the event are posted here.
Since the Advocacy Network launched, it has drawn participants from across the state.
Cohort 4 members have been busy learning about advocacy, and, in turn, advocating for children, families, and early educators. They’ve appeared on The 9:30 Call, and they have been featured in our Eye on Early Childhood blog.
Best of all, Cohort 4 members have added their unique voices to the work of improving early childhood policies and programs across the state. Here’s some of what they said at the Reception for Reflection. :
Bopha Malone, CEO, Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell:
“Unlike other professional development opportunities, this program didn’t just give us the knowledge, it offered us connection, clarity, and community. I was surrounded by people who understood the challenges and shared the same drive to make a change.
“This experience has helped me to see my work through a wider lens, understanding how early childhood policy impacts the girls and families that we serve and, as a leader, how I can become more of an effective advocate.”
Edna Cabral, Owner, Director, and Educator at Edna’s Little Garden:
“Real change happens when we dare to be visible and when we lift each other up, because at the end of the day, we all want what’s best for the children and educators.”
Elizabeth Walsh, Assistant Director of Early Education Inclusion, Horizons for Homeless Children:
“Tonight the question that I was tasked to answer was, How has the Advocacy Network helped me to find my voice or amplify the voices of others? So, I’m thinking that my voice has always been there, but sometimes it’s been a small voice, a voice of one person, a voice that supported one family or one child at a time. However, the advocacy network has helped me to amplify my voice by providing me with tools, opportunities, and resources to join my voice with others, to network, and to bring my voice to a larger audience.”
To hear more, check out the Reception for Reflection video.
Please join us in congratulating Cohort 4!
And thank you to the Collaboration for Community Health at Boston Children’s Hospital for generously funding the Advocacy Network.