Early Learning Fellows | Class Eight

9/23/2019

Contact

Alison May, 303-856-1473

Overview

early learning fellows logo including capitol dome The National Conference of State Legislatures is pleased to continue offering an Early Learning Fellows program for state legislators and staff.

States have been leading efforts to improve the quality of child care, implementing preschool and innovative ways to support families with young children across the age spectrum from birth to kindergarten and into the early grades. They are also addressing challenges with governance, financing, data systems and teacher training/professional development.

Thanks to the generous support of the Alliance for Early Success, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, Heising-Simons Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation this program is available to a limited number of legislators and legislative staff at no cost.

Below is information about the eighth cohort (2019) of Early Learning Fellows.

Meet the Fellows

Legislator Participants
Senator Brian Buchanan, Indiana	Assemblymember Pamela Lampitt, New Jersey
Representative Lisa Callan, Washington	Representative Mary Littleton, Tennessee
Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, Nebraska	Senator Jon Lundberg, Tennessee
Representative Sheila Dills, Oklahoma	Representative Debra Moody, Tennessee
Assemblymember Joanne Downey, New Jersey	Representative Monica Murnan, Kansas
Senator Janie Ward-Engelking, Idaho	Senator Pat Pettey, Kansas
Senator Jon Ford, Indiana	Representative Sara Rasmussen, Alaska
Representative Joy Garratt, New Mexico	Representative Kristine Reeves, Washington
Senator Ron Grooms, Indiana	Representative Patrick Snyder, Wisconsin
Representative Kaohly Her, Minnesota	Assemblymember Shanique Speight, New Jersey
Senator Andre Jacque, Wisconsin	Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Alaska
Representative Raymundo Lara, New Mexico	Senator Claire Wilson, Washington

Legislative Staff Participants
Kevin Gwaltney, Missouri	Storm Linjer, Wisconsin

Kickoff Meeting: Building State Leadership

Meeting Location: Hilton Omaha | 1001 Cass Street Omaha 68102

This meeting set the stage for the eighth cohort of NCSL’s Early Learning Fellows. Throughout the fellowship, participants will work toward achieving the following goals in a peer-learning setting with facilitated small-group learning opportunities. Goals include:

Gain knowledge about new research and policy options.
Exchange ideas and solutions related to early learning, the early opportunity gap and many other birth-to-8 issues.
Connect with other legislative leaders.
Gain practical information for use in their state.
Develop an early learning action plan.
Connect with leading researchers and policy experts.

Group of 2019 Early Learning Fellows

Meeting Agenda | Participant List | Speaker Biographies

**Kickoff Meeting Agenda**
Wednesday, June 5
6-8 p.m.	Reception and Meet and Greet North Patio
Thursday, June 6 \| Nicholas A/B
8-8:30 a.m.	Breakfast & Networking
8:30-9:15 a.m.	Welcome, Introductions and Early Care and Education Overview Presentation 1 \| Presentation 2
9:15-10:45 a.m.	Brain Science: How Early Experiences Shape the Brain Sarah Lytle, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington Presentation
10:45-11 a.m.	Break
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.	Economic Return on Investments in Early Childhood and How to Sustain the Gains Rob Grunewald, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Presentation 1 \| Presentation 2 \| Handout
12:15-1:15 p.m.	Lunch
1:15-2:30 p.m.	Quality and Access: The Dynamic Duo of Child Care Kate Gallagher, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, University of Nebraska Karen Schulman, National Women’s Law Center Presentation 1 \| Presentation 2 \| Handout One \| Handout Two NCSL LegisBrief: More States Leaning Into Child Care
2:30-2:45 p.m.	Break
2:45-4 p.m.	What Makes Quality Prekindergarten for our Young Learners Ellen Frede, National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University Presentation
4-4:30 p.m.	Early Learning Planning: Thinking Through Your Top Priorities
5:30-7:30 p.m.	Offsite Dinner & Keynote Address
Friday, June 7 \| Nicholas A/B
8-8:30 a.m.	Breakfast and Networking
8:30 a.m.-Noon	Site Visit Educare of Omaha at Kellom Elementary Presentation
Noon-1 p.m.	Lunch
1-2:15 p.m.	Early Childhood the Nebraska Way Moderator: Jessie Rasmussen, Buffett Early Childhood Fund Presenters: Amy Bornemeier and Betty Medinger, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Presentation \| Handout
2:15-2:45 p.m.	Next Steps and Wrap Up

Second Meeting: Policy, Research and Innovations

Group of 2019 Early Learning Fellows

Meeting Location: The Westin Denver Downtown | 1672 Lawrence Street, Denver, CO 80202 | Lawrence A/B Rooms

Agenda | Participant List | Speaker Biographies

Second meeting agenda
Sunday, Aug. 25
5:30-6 p.m.	Networking Reception
6-8 p.m.	Dinner and Keynote Address: The Importance of Language Development in Early Childhood Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University Presentation
Monday, Aug. 26 \| Lawrence A/B
8:30-9 a.m.	Breakfast & Networking
9-9:30 a.m.	Are We Ready? The Importance of Early Learning Major General Gary Dylewski, U.S. Air Force, retired Website: Mission: Readiness Presentation
9:30-10 a.m.	Federal Opportunities for Consideration NCSL LegisBrief: Family First Presentation
10-10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15-11:30 a.m.	Helping Early Learners Overcome Barriers to Healthy Social-Emotional Development Gail Joseph, University of Washington Meghan McCann, NCSL NCSL LegisBrief: School Discipline in Preschool Through Grade 3 NCSL LegisBrief: Addressing Children's Mental Health Presentation on ACEs
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.	Lunch
1-2:15 p.m.	Home Visiting: A Look Inside Janet Horras, Iowa Department of Public Health Bureau of Family Health Allison Mosqueda, Invest in Kids NCSL LegisBrief: Home Visiting: Improving Children’s and Families’ Well-Being Presentation \| Handout
2:15-2:30 p.m.	Break
2:30-3 p.m.	This is Jeopardy!
3-3:30 p.m.	Early Learning Fellows Action Planning Work at your table independently or in small groups as you continue to think through your early learning action plan.
3:30-4:45 p.m.	Supporting High-Quality Early Learning with a High-Quality Workforce: Addressing the Strengths, Challenges and Needs of Early Learning Professionals Temisha Elliott, Clayton Early Learning Kacee Miller, Early Milestones, Colorado Representative James Wilson, Colorado NCSL LegisBrief: Building a Qualified and Supported Early Care and Education Workforce Presentation
5-6 p.m.	Optional Roundtable Dialogue About Early Childhood Policies
	Enjoy Dinner on your Own in Denver
Tuesday, Aug. 27
8-9 a.m.	Networking Breakfast
9-10:15 a.m.	Governance and Coordination in Early Learning Systems Linda Smith, Bipartisan Policy Center Report: Creating an Integrated Efficient Early Care and Education System to Support Children and Families: A State-by-State Analysis Presentation
10:15-10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30-11:30 a.m.	Infant and Toddler Data to Support Ready Learners Patricia Cole, ZERO TO THREE Report: State of Babies Yearbook 2019 Presentation
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.	Finalize Your Early Learning Action Plans Fellows will finalize their early learning action plan and share with other fellows.
12:15-1:30 p.m.	Ask the Experts Over Lunch
1:30-2:30 p.m.	Supplemental Programming to Develop Early Literacy and Numeracy Skills Lindsay Dolce, Reading & Math, Inc. Presentation
2:30-3 p.m.	Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Webinars

Webinar 1: Innovative Early Learning Financing Mechanisms
Thursday, July 11 | 2 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. CT/ Noon MT/ 11 a.m. PT | 60-minutes
Moderators: Alison May and Julie Poppe, NCSL
Speaker: Louise Stoney, Alliance for Early Childhood Finance and Opportunities Exchange
Legislative Respondent: Stephanie Hilferty (R-La.)
View the archive.

Webinar 2: How Policymakers Can Support Early Childhood Data Governance

Thursday, Aug. 15 | 2 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. CT/ Noon MT/ 11 a.m. PT | 75-minutes
Moderators: Alison May and Jennifer Palmer, NCSL
Speaker: Carlise King, Early Childhood Data Collaborative
Speaker: Dale Epstein, Child Trends
Speaker: Hayley Young, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
View the archive.

Legislative Corner

Fellows blue banner with image of children and capitol As a way to keep all fellows connected with one another and to highlight the terrific work being done in your state, NCSL staff will periodically highlight a fellow and the work they are doing.
April 2019 edition | September 2019 edition | View previous Legislative Corners.

Blog Posts

Occasionally the Early Learning Fellows program will be featured in NCSL's Blog highlighting the program overall and the participants.
May 23, 2019 | Early Learning Fellows: Here Comes the Class of 2019
View previous Blog Posts.