New Jersey Birth Equity Funders Alliance转发了
"It is one of the greatest disconnects in American society: the importance of a child’s first five years versus how the work of early care and education is valued." This is the premise of a new documentary, Make a Circle (https://lnkd.in/e8K_EppH), which spotlights the impossible circumstances confronted by our country's child care workers, who deliver foundational education and nurturing for our youngest children and entire communities, despite struggling to provide for themselves and their own families. ? ?????Last week, Burke Program Officer Caroline Bersak joined the NJAEYC, Advocates for Children of New Jersey, and others for a screening of?the award-winning documentary. ? The film exposes?how our country underfunds and undervalues early care and education, resulting in the harsh reality that "parents can't afford to pay; teachers can't afford to stay."? ? In a panel discussion following the screening, Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (a former early educator), Debra Lancaster (executive director of Rutgers University - Center for Women and Work), Chelsy Smith (senior director, Zadie's of the Oranges), and Meghan Tavormina (NJAEYC's director of public policy) made clear that New Jersey's child care system is grappling with the same systemic failures shown in the film, and that our children, families, communities, businesses, and early educators are paying the price. ? ???NJAEYC, ACNJ, and CWW are all partners in the First 1000 Days Policy Coalition, a key Burke Foundation initiative that brings together diverse stakeholders to advance solutions for New Jersey's child care crisis.