Guest blog post by Philanthropy Missouri Board Chair Jane Callahan, Executive Director of the Joseph H. & Florence A. Roblee Foundation.
Early care and education is one of my personal passions and also a major priority for the Roblee Foundation. Child care, pre-K, and home visiting are critical supports for children and families. Missouri now has opportunities to strengthen early care and education so that it is responsive to families’ needs and prepares children to succeed in school and life.
Over the past few months, Barbara Carswell and Sissy Swift from the Youthbridge Community Foundation, Halley French from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and I have been meeting with Brian Schmidt, Executive Director of Kids Win Missouri. We are organizing a virtual event for philanthropic organizations who are interested in learning about the early childhood landscape in Missouri and potential opportunities to strengthen early care and education in the near future.
At the virtual event, we will hear from:
- Ana Kent, Senior Researcher with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, who will share her research on the impact that child care disruptions have had on working parents and the economy
- Phyllis Hardwick, a parent of a young child in Kansas City
- Cortaiga Collins, Founder of Good Shepherd Preschool and Infant/Toddler Center
- Emily van Schenkhof, Executive Director of Missouri’s Children’s Trust Fund
- Linda Rallo, Vice President of Aligned
- Brian Schmidt, Executive Director of Kids Win Missouri
I hope you will join Barbara, Sissy, Halley and me on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 from 9:00-10:30am for a unique opportunity to learn more about this important work and how your organization can help support young children and their families in Missouri. You can register for the event and add it to your calendar here.