This month, Building Our Future hosted our first Smart Beginnings: Early Childcare Educator Meeting, bringing together dedicated Early Childhood Educators from across Kenosha County. These conversations provided valuable insights into how the Smart Beginnings Network can best support and collaborate with providers to ensure that all children enter kindergarten ready to learn.
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A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, including representatives from Cornerstone Academy, Growing Green Child Development Center, Lov N Care Children’s Academy, Little Explorers Home Daycare, A Place to Grow Play and Education Center, Kenosha YMCA, and Lil’ Cubs Family Childcare. Your commitment to early childhood education is the foundation of a stronger future for our community. We look forward to continuing this important work together!

​What does Systems Change look like in Kenosha County? Like building caregivers' understanding of child development and connecting them to a community-wide grid of resources. To make this possible, Building Our Future’s Smart Beginnings Network partners worked to implement the national Help Me Grow model in Kenosha. Since 2017, the Smart Beginnings Network has focused on integrating data from developmental screenings to ensure that all children in Kenosha County are screened regularly throughout their first five years. As part of this work, the Network has set year-over-year goals to increase implementation of the ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE. As a result of this work, it's the hope of the Network that more children will receive the services they need to be developmentally on track. When families receive needed services earlier, the likelihood that children will return to being developmentally on track with their peers increases. As we know, data will guide us to where to look, but it's the Network's effective action within our collaborative networks that truly reveals what to do.

Smart Beginnings Network isn't just a regular monthly gathering – they're a powerhouse of dedicated individuals, community partners, and change-makers all rallying together for a brighter future for our youngest learners. Here's what our incredible community partners have to share about their journey with us:

"So excited to be a part of this platform. So many people in the corner of child care. We're all coming together, putting boots on the ground in the community." – Patricia Woods, 4C for Children

"As a new member of this network, it's very valuable to have the connections from this network. The collaboration and support are truly remarkable." – Jenell Jackley, KCHC

"BOF is a culture of collaboration where we come together to support the same mission. I love the fact that there are people working for the same purpose." – Nancy Williams, WECA/WEESSN

Our Smart Beginnings Network is where enthusiasm turns into action, where diverse expertise comes together to create real change. If you're seeking to join a network committed to transforming lives and sculpting a brighter future, connect with our Director of Strategic Initiatives, Felicia Dalton, to explore how you can jump in.

Let's continue to collaborate, innovate, and make a lasting impact together!

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