Early Childhood Alliance

We're honored to be among the organizations selected to participate in the Stanford Center on Early Childhood's 2024 RAPID Survey Project Community Voices cohort. There’s always more to learn from parents, and the RAPID survey will help us continue to ground our systems-building efforts in their priorities and experiences. Using the RAPID survey to expand our ability to ask questions and learn from families, especially in a broad, community-wide approach, will further our understanding of what our families care about and experience every day.

This spring, we put out a call for organizations to work with the RAPID Survey Project to co-design and implement surveys in their own communities. We received a tremendous response, and are excited to announce the organizations who will collaborate with RAPID to deeply listen to parents of young children in their communities and to take action using the insights and data that parents share.

Five organizations were selected as part of the 2024 RAPID Community Voices cohort:

🟡Common Ground Health & ROC the Future Alliance, Rochester, NY

🟡Early Childhood Alliance, Onondaga County, NY

🟡Northside Achievement Zone, Minneapolis, MN

🟡Partnership for Community Action, Albuquerque, NM

🟡Whatcom County Health and Community Services, Whatcom County, WA

In addition, and new this year, two organizations were selected as Innovation Communities. These groups will explore, design and implement innovative approaches to listening to parents in their community:

🟡Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS

🟡Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, Fairfax, VA, in partnership with George Mason University

All the organizations share a demand for actionable, timely data and insights on the experiences of families and young children in their community and an interest in centering parent voices and experiences in the design of policies, programs, and services that are intended to support them.

Read more about RAPID Community Voices here: https://stanford.io/3yLgNkQ

Spread the word! ParentChild+ of Catholic Charities of Onondaga County is hiring for multiple positions with competitive wages and hiring incentives! 🎉 Embrace the joy of supporting families and fostering early learning at home as an Early Learning Specialist. 📚✨

In this role, you'll deliver educational books and toys, and guide parents in enhancing their children’s verbal, cognitive, and social-emotional skills - key for school readiness and future success. 🌱

Strong knowledge of child development, community resources, and data reporting is preferred. Travel in Syracuse and Onondaga County is required.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now at bit.ly/CCOCJobs

The Early Childhood Alliance is committed to empowering parents as leaders and to centering their voices in every aspect of our work. To that end, we're incredibly proud to share that two members of our Parent Advisory Council will be quoted in the new version of the Manifesto for Race Equity and Parent Leadership in Early Childhood Systems.

The Manifesto is published by the Early Childhood Learning and Innovation Network for Communities (EC-LINC), a project of the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and is designed to be a guide for early childhood agencies and systems to help them address inequities and racism by giving parents a voice and opportunity to be engaged and lead at all levels of change.

Beyond proud of you, Heather and Sierra!

Just one more day until Talk, Read, Sing Onondaga's Feel the Beat Family Fest at Destiny USA! So excited to shake, rattle, and rock with the kiddos and their families, Andyroo & the Andyrooniverse, and our many community partners. See you there! Tykes Tuesday: Early Childhood Alliance

Our Executive Director (Bethany Creaser), Director of Family Wellbeing (Brandi Mee), Director of Family Engagement (Syeisha Byrd), and two parent leaders (Heather Bushnoe and Jade McAlmont) were in Long Beach, CA this week for the annual Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP) In-Person Meeting and ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference. We met, networked, and ideated with members of the PSP Learning Community, visited the LA Proof Point Community (LIFT/ACEs LA Medical–Financial Partnership with Network for Care), and explored the latest research, promising practices, and policy strategies with early childhood professionals from across the country. Many thanks to Dr. Jenica O'Malley, Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, and Mary Welker, Independent Evaluator, for joining us for this incredible week of learning and networking!

Spread the word! Talk, Read, Sing Onondaga will celebrate all things music with Andyroo & the Andyrooniverse and our early childhood system partners at their annual 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟲 at Destiny USA. Free and open to all! Tykes Tuesday: Early Childhood Alliance

Happy 248th, America! 🇺🇸

Many thanks to everyone who joined us for today's Family Engagement & Talk, Read, Sing Training! Your commitment to our community's children and families is truly inspiring!

Thanks for an amazing day, Meals on Wheels of Syracuse! So great to give back to the community and see all those smiling faces. 🍽🚗

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures whose unconditional love and support we celebrate today and every day! Thank you for the many important roles you play in your children’s lives!

We took a few minutes during our Workgroup meeting today to network and explore how Onondaga County's early childhood system can be likened to a puzzle.

Like puzzle pieces, each partner organization has a specific purpose and mission, and each one is integral to the system as a whole. We're so lucky to have so many amazing partner "puzzle pieces" at the table!

We're honored to be among those chosen to present at Liftoff WNY's Summer Learning Series, "NYS Early Childhood Alliances: Uniting for Impact through Collaboration and Connection." Reserve your spot today: https://secure.everyaction.com/OU_pRzffdUK1fPZMGnGrtw2?contactdata=&nvep=&hmac=&emci=b98cc55e-cf21-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=

Liftoff is thrilled to announce this year's Summer Learning Series, "NYS Early Childhood Alliances: Uniting for Impact through Collaboration and Connection."

Join us for three dynamic virtual events featuring inspiring presentations from key leaders of early childhood alliances across New York State: Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance in June, Early Childhood Alliance in July, and the Allegany County Early Childhood Development Coalition in August. Each session will be followed by an engaging Q&A, facilitated by Liftoff's Director, Rachel Bonsignore.

Reserve your spot now to ensure you don't miss out on this exciting and informative series!

June 18th 12:00pm: https://secure.everyaction.com/D5SVYSXuSU-F5A7KjLkgUA2?contactdata=&nvep=&hmac=&emci=b98cc55e-cf21-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=

July 17th: https://secure.everyaction.com/OU_pRzffdUK1fPZMGnGrtw2?contactdata=&nvep=&hmac=&emci=b98cc55e-cf21-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=

August 8th: https://secure.everyaction.com/7eNZDu5bGEuKMXs3fulfvg2?contactdata=&nvep=&hmac=&emci=b98cc55e-cf21-ef11-86d2-6045bdd9e096&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=

In partnership with Help Me Grow Onondaga, we're challenging all families with young children (birth through age 5) to take the Developmental Screening Challenge. Families who complete both a developmental (ASQ®-3) and a social-emotional (ASQ®:SE-2) screen at bit.ly/HMGScreeningChallenge by June 29 will be entered in a raffle for one of five summer fun gift baskets including toys, activities, and a $25 gift gift card. Help us spread the word and get our County's children screened!

Congratulations to the second cohort of graduates from our Leading for Change leadership development program offered in partnership with Early Education Leaders, an Institute at UMass Boston! The 14-week course sponsored by a grant from Home Grown aimed to cultivate leadership mindsets among the participating home-based family child care providers, who developed Change Projects, or concrete action plans, to improve program quality and promote equity. Special thanks to the Cohort I graduates who joined us in celebrating!

Happy to the incredible providers across Onondaga County who have dedicated their careers to helping little minds grow! Educators like you make a difference in our community. Your dedication and tireless commitment to teaching and nurturing our children is truly inspiring, and your impact will last a lifetime. Thank you!

We were honored, together with our Help Me Grow Onondaga team, to join our partners from the Oswego County Early Childhood Alliance and Docs For Tots for the official launch of Oswego County Help Me Grow (OCHMG)! As the State's fifth Help Me Grow system, OCHMG promises to provide invaluable assistance to children and families in need across Oswego County. Congratulations, OCHMG! 🥳 🎉

https://iheartoswego.com/oswego-county-early-childhood-alliance-launches-help-me-grow-initiative-to-support-young-children-and-their-families.html

Babies’ brains develop faster from birth to age 3 than at any other time of life! This , we're joining the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers in urging Congress to by investing in policies that support their ability to learn, grow, and thrive:

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- High-quality, affordable
- Enhanced
- Investments in , services, and the system

So great to meet with representatives from ZERO TO THREE, lead for our Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP) project in partnership with Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, to share our progress and ideate next steps for strengthening pediatric care in Onondaga County!

Pictured from left: Kara Williams, Allyn Family Foundation; Bethany Creaser, Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga; Sarah MacLaughlin, ZERO TO THREE; Brandi Mee, Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga; Kimberly Bradley, ZERO TO THREE; and Syeisha Byrd, Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga.

It's the 2024 Week of the Young Child, and we're excited to join
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and our early childhood system stakeholders and partners in celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and families! Be sure to check out Talk, Read, Sing Onondaga and Help Me Grow Onondaga, who'll be celebrating with daily themed activities encouraging movement and healthy lifestyles through music, food, and art.

Since 2015, the Early Childhood Alliance has brought together community leaders, early childhood stakeholders, and families to identify gaps, secure resources, and build a more cohesive early childhood system in Onondaga County. Check out our Annual Report to see the many ways our initiatives made an impact in 2023! https://www.ecaonondaga.org/post/2023-annual-report

A great morning supporting the important work of the Samaritan Center and giving back to the community we call home!

Drumroll, please.... Our ✨NEW✨ website is live! Featuring a fresh design, improved functionality, and a wealth of new information about our early childhood systems-building work (and it's mobile-friendly!). Take a look around!

Home | ECA Onondaga The Early Childhood Alliance (ECA) was launched in 2015 with the bold vision that all children in Onondaga County are healthy, thriving, and ready to succeed in school and in life. Composed of a diverse cross-section of community stakeholders impacting the County’s early childhood system, the ECA ...

The ECA was proud to join parents, child care professionals, and our partners/advocates from Child Care Solutions, PEACE, Inc., Partners in Learning, Inc., and The Salvation Army Syracuse Area Services in Albany today for the Empire State Campaign for Child Care's 2024 Advocacy Day. This year, we educated lawmakers on the critical importance of investing directly in the child care workforce, eliminating barriers for families, and ensuring that no children are excluded from child care due to their immigration status.

Join us and the Empire State Campaign for Child Care at the New York State Capitol on Tuesday, February 6 to show that NY’s children, families, and the child care educators they rely on deserve to be a top priority in this year's state budget! bit.ly/ESCCC2024

The Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County invites not-for-profit organizations serving Onondaga County residents to apply for its 2024 Literacy Champion Grants for projects or events that align to the Coalition’s mission of achieving literacy for all. Projects or events that either focus directly on literacy or indirectly impact the literacy needs of adults, children, and families will be considered. The Coalition will support new projects or events that are seeking funding to launch or existing projects/events that have shown promise and need funding to expand. Grant awards do not typically exceed $10,000 for programs and are typically up to $3,500 for events. The Coalition may consider supporting other projects throughout the year, based on funding availability. Projects, including reporting, must conclude within 2024. Learn more at onliteracy.org/grants.

Families, child care educators, and advocates from Buffalo to the Bronx are traveling to Albany on 2/6 with the Empire State Campaign for Child Care to urge NYS to invest in the child care workforce and break down barriers that get in the way of the care families need. Join us! bit.ly/ESCCC2024

From the ECA family to yours, sending wishes of warmth, joy, and tranquility this holiday season.

Come see us at Destiny USA as we ring the bell for the The Salvation Army Syracuse Area Services and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!