Something magical happens when families come together to share, listen and dream together. They have powerful ideas about practical, sustainable ways to more effectively provide early care and education, especially to those who lack opportunity. In Dayton, we have seen this magic up close with our new Parent and Family Voices Committee. “If you had a magic wand, what would you change?” This is the first question we asked a group of 22 families raising young children in Montgomery County, Ohio. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and foster parents of all different races, ethnicities, income levels, zip codes and life experiences gathered over a meal to answer what we—naively—thought would be a difficult question. One by one, answers poured out. The participants had thoughtful, innovative ideas, many of which could fix how well-meaning governments and helping agencies too often fail in their support for families with young children. This discussion was just the start of a year-long journey together to create an action plan by families and for families, outlining how to change systems to support caregivers and prepare children for success in Kindergarten and beyond. One of the leading recommendations from this group was to expand the reach of home visiting by creating our Reaching for Readiness Program—a Preschool Promise Home Visiting program specifically for families with toddlers through Preschool. Two years later, this program is serving over 60 families. If you want to get involved with making real changes for all children in the future, reach out to our Birth to Three and Family Connections team to talk about opportunities!
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