Ashley Bessette was a major contributor to the Addison Regional Council Planning Team for the recent Early Childhood Summit in Addison County. Ashley is a longtime Regional Council member, first as a director of a regional child care program and now in her new role as the preschool coordinator for Addison County.
It doesn’t matter what region of Vermont you hail from—we can all agree that positive, thoughtful, and intentional collaboration makes great things happen. We see it in all avenues of the work our communities do to build bridges and fill gaps. This is especially true when looking at the early childhood systems that support a healthy opportunity for all children to succeed. On Friday, October 25, 2024, over 60 people gathered at Holley Hall in Bristol to learn, discuss, and problem-solve just that: collaboration.
The Early Childhood Summit planning committee, which was composed of regional leaders from the private sector and public sector, was very clear on the objectives for the day:
- Celebrate and acknowledge the collaboration that is happening well and frequently in our area
- Congregate people from all backgrounds to build relationships among the leadership and individuals working in our local agencies
- Identify and problem-solve gaps in collaboration that could be improved to ensure better outcomes for children and families
The Summit began with tours of high-quality early childhood programs in Addison County. Seven programs participated and led two separate groups of visitors through their programs. Visitors were given a checklist to help them identify what high-quality looks like in an early childhood education program. Visitors were able to ask questions and learn more about the philosophy, mission, and culture of each individual program.
After the visits, the group congregated at Holley Hall in Bristol, where the formal part of the day began with a welcome from U.S. Representative Rebecca Balint, who praised the work of our early childhood educators and all they do to nurture and support our children. This was followed by a panel discussion on “Stories of Collaboration.” Our panelists came from a variety of backgrounds and included:
- Francisco (Paco) Corbalan, MD, FAAP, Middlebury Pediatric Medicine
- Jen Kravitz, Principal, Mary Hogan Elementary School
- Beth McGeorge, Director of Student Support Services, MAUSD
- Jackie Prime, Preschool Teacher, Mary Johnson Children’s Center
- Doumina Noonan, Specialized Child Care Coordinator, Addison County Parent Child Center
The panelists’ fascinating stories ranged from a child newly diagnosed with autism needing an appropriate preschool placement that supported his needs and development to how one school’s kindergarten transition plan was vastly improved by intentional close collaboration with their largest partner preschool programs. We ended the panel with Doumina Noonan, who spoke about how agencies and systems collaborate on a grander level, the impact of those larger connections, and how personnel and continuity affect their success.
After lunch, the large group broke into smaller groups to identify more collaborations that were positively impacting our children in the region. They were asked to think of children they know and how specific collaborations supported their needs and access. Then these same groups were asked to identify gaps or holes in our collaborative web that were challenging or left us unable to support children in the way we would like to. Some issues that arose were:
- Transportation for preschool children to get to school, specifically those in our migrant communities
- Ensuring children receive special education services when placed out of district for preschool
At the end of the day, we asked for electronic feedback about the event. Upon review, it was clear that participants thought this Summit was much needed and a very good use of time. They felt more empowered, more educated, and noted all the connections that they made with individuals in the room that they could now call for brainstorming and support. We are grateful to the planning committee, who worked for months to put this Summit into action, and to all the speakers and participants who took the time to come together and “collaborate.” Until next time.
